Newtown Savings Bank plans to open its 15th branch next year when it expands into Bridgeport.

The new branch in Connecticut’s largest city will be located in Shoppers Fair Plaza on Boston Avenue.

“This is an exciting expansion for us, as it will bolster our existing residential lending and business banking efforts in Bridgeport as well as of course our branch banking activities,” Ken Weinstein, Newtown Savings Bank president and CEO, said in a statement. “At this point we are anticipating a mid-2021 opening subject to regulatory approval and the pace of construction.”

Bridgeport has been the focus of Newtown Savings Bank’s expansion plans for several years, the bank said in the statement. The board of directors added Bridgeport to the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) assessment area in 2018, and management then began to consider the potential for a branch location.

The $1.3 billion Newtown Savings Bank currently has branches in the Bridgeport area in Monroe, Shelton and Trumbull. The bank’s branches are in Newtown, Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Oxford, Southbury and Woodbury.

“We determined that branch expansion into Bridgeport is a natural extension of our franchise, and an opportunity to bring our community-focused banking approach to residents and businesses,” chief banking officer Tony Giobbi said in the statement.