First Farmers Bank & Trust (FFMR) offers its customers the best of both worlds: old-fashioned service combined with state-of-the-art banking products. Some call it "today's bank with yesterday's values."
And that's just fine with First Farmers, which is proud of its past and focused on the future. Based in tiny Converse, Indiana, it has been serving rural farming communities for almost 130 years. The bank remains committed to those customers, but it has also broadened its reach to include mid-sized communities like Kokomo, Terre Haute, Marion and Huntington. And its banking expertise has broadened from the agricultural industry to commercial businesses of all kinds.
"We are committed to rural communities and have proven to be both a very progressive institution while retaining the core philosophy of community banking. At the same time, our service concept translates well to larger mid-sized markets as well," said First Farmers President and Chief Executive Officer Gene Miles.
Today, First Farmers offers a range of services - from deposit and investment accounts to commercial loans and leasing - that its commercial and Ag clients need to succeed.
First Farmers' reputation has soared right along with the number of services it offers. American Banker magazine recently ranked the Top Community Banks in the nation based on average three-year return on equity. First Farmers ranked an impressive 13th in the country. It was the only bank in Indiana among the top 75 and one of the only three Hoosier banks in the top 100.
With assets of $1.2 billion, First Farmers has more than 50,000 clients served by 27 offices. It has locations throughout Hamilton, Johnson, Cass, Grant, Howard, Huntington, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Starke, Tipton, Vermillion, Vigo and Wabash counties in Indiana, and three offices in Coles and Edgar counties in Illinois.
First Farmers has been in growth mode lately, announcing in May that it is buying the deposits of nine BMO Harris Bank branches. It will acquire seven of the nine branch buildings and will assume responsibility for the employees of all nine branches, which are located in Marion, Logansport, Terre Haute, Farmersburg, Sullivan, Clay City, Brazil, Carlisle and Shelburn.
Last Year, First Farmers entered the Indianapolis-area market when it bought four Bank of Indiana offices, including one in Bargersville in Johnson County. First Farmers has had a presence in Hamilton County since 1998 with an office in Sheridan.
"Expansion and growth is welcome but only if we remain true to our core mission of exceptional customer service. Our model works ...so a consistency in approach is as important in smaller markets as it is in larger ones. This acquisition fits nicely with our history of supporting rural communities. We are confident our services and products will complement these types of communities," added Miles.
While the availability of First Farmers' services is spreading to commercial enterprises big and small throughout the state, so is its full line of personal and financial planning services. "It is imperative that a bank have a full complement of services and delivery channels today. We have to match our much larger competitors in terms of e-commerce and convenience. At the same time, we offer the added value of significant experience in the Ag industry and a comprehensive client relationship. We consider our client experience to be very reflective of a traditional banking model in the way we interact and communicate with our customers," said Tade J. Powell, VP-Marketing & Public Relations.
Whether working with a business or a personal banking client, individual attention is the foundation upon which the bank has existed since 1885.
First Farmers Bank & Trust is proud of that rich tradition as a solid financial force with the highest of ideals. As First Farmers looks to the future, it will continue to focus on its strength of providing state of the art banking with old-fashioned service.
