Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell is Legal Counsel to Primary Bank in its Proposed Merger with Hometown Financial Group, Inc.

July 8, 2026

On July 6, 2026, Hometown Financial Group, Inc., Easthampton, Massachusetts, the parent company of bankESB, entered into a merger agreement pursuant to which it will acquire Primary Bank, Bedford, New Hampshire, in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $160 million.

Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell is serving as legal counsel to Primary Bank in the transaction. The Gallagher team on this transaction consists of Dodd Griffith, Caroline Leonard, Susan Hollinger, Rowan Joyce, and Abigail Garside.

Primary Bank has approximately $743 million in total assets and is headquartered in Bedford, New Hampshire with locations in Derry, Manchester, and Nashua, New Hampshire.

Hometown Financial is a $6.9 billion multi-bank mutual holding company headquartered in Easthampton, Massachusetts, and the parent company of bankESB, bankHometown, TruNorth Bank, and Hometown Mortgage. The banks operate through 55 locations throughout Massachusetts, northeastern Connecticut, and southern New Hampshire.