TowneBank was founded in 1998 in Portsmouth, Virginia, by a group of local business and civic leaders led by G. Robert Aston Jr., who envisioned creating a community-focused bank operating on traditional relationship-banking principles combined with sophisticated financial services. Over subsequent decades, TowneBank experienced extraordinary growth through organic branch openings and strategic mergers across the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, Northeastern North Carolina, and Central Virginia. Listed publicly as TowneBank, the institution expanded its core commercial and retail banking operations into specialized verticals, including wealth management, insurance, real estate brokerage, and mortgage services, evolving into a premier regional financial powerhouse while maintaining its foundational commitment to community involvement and local decision-making.