Stocks of Youngstown, Ohio-Area Banks Soar.

Byline: Don Shilling

Jul. 23--Many investors who got burned chasing pricey high-tech stocks a year ago would have done much better investing closer to home.

As the Nasdaq Stock Market continues to sag, stocks of locally based banks are soaring.

Five of the banks have stock prices that have risen between 20 percent and 50 percent in the past year.

Another, Farmers National Banc Corp., is up only about 5 percent since last July but is up nearly 50 percent from its sagging price in December. Changing attitudes: Rick Blossom, president of Second Bancorp in Warren, said bank stocks were low in recent years because fewer people wanted them. Many investors wanted high-tech stocks and were willing to pay high prices to get them. The attitude of …