One of the largest banks in the United States is opening its first retail location in Alabama today.

Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank will open a Huntsville branch as part of an ambitious plan to expand into the Southeast.

The new bank is located at 5901-B University Drive.

It’s the first of 15 financial centers planned for Alabama by the end of 2028, as the company looks to open another 200 locations nationally over the next three years, primarily in the South.

The bank eventually plans 10 financial centers for Huntsville and five in Birmingham.

Shawn Niehaus, head of consumer banking at Fifth Third, said Huntsville was a natural for expansion, as an average of 11 people are relocating to the Rocket City area every day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

And through Huntsville, t

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