As we think about Halloween costumes and trick-or-treaters, First Community Bank and Trust is focusing on the “treats” that set community banking apart, and keep our customers coming back for more.

First, let’s look at some facts. Community bank customers are more successful and satisfied than those of other institutions, outperforming megabanks and online lenders, according to a Federal Reserve small business credit survey. And we do it by staying focused on our customers’ needs, not their transaction levels. 

We won’t jeopardize our hard-earned reputation by peddling goods and services our customers don’t want or need. And we don’t rely on impersonal credit scores or lend by committee, either. We bank the old-fashioned way—one customer, one loan at a time. It’s been our philosophy since the bank’s founding over 100 years ago, and it continues to help us serve the unique needs of our customers today. 

It’s not just our proximity to customers that have won us repeat business. Unlike credit unions and the Farm Credit System, community banks effectively serve individuals of modest means and agricultural borrowers without taxpayer-funded subsidies. First Community Bank and Trust is proud to put our tax dollars to work right here in Beecher and Peotone, helping to support local police and fire departments, schools and other municipal services.

Community banks help fortify local neighborhoods in other ways too through philanthropic outreach and civic service—providing much needed resources and attention to worthwhile causes and events. Nearly all of First Community Bank and Trust’s employees participate in local groups and organizations including Scholarship Associations and Education Foundations that benefit the students of our communities, and groups like the Chamber Commerce that keep the local economy thriving.

The treats don’t end there. Nearly one in five U.S. counties are only served by a community bank. And, community banks as a whole fund more than 60 percent of the nation’s small businesses, which account for two out of three new U.S. jobs annually. 

The Minneapolis Federal Reserve also recognized the role of the nation’s community banks as first responders in serving the agriculture segment, noting that when the agricultural economy takes a downturn, as it has in recent years, it’s a call-to-action for banks that provide credit to businesses and households in their local communities.  In fact, community banks provide approximately $180 billion in agriculture loans. 

Through it all, just know that as your local community bank, we will remain in your corner, in your corner—for the long haul. Partnering with you to help you reach your financial goals and serving our community will always be a treat.