“TheBANK’s Early Years: 1868 - 1899”
In 2008, TheBANK of Edwardsville celebrated its 140th anniversary.
To put that in perspective, when TheBANK was founded in 1868, Andrew
Johnson (Abraham Lincoln’s successor) was President. . .the telephone
would not be invented for another eight years. . . and the invention of
the electric light bulb was still 11 years away!
It was a
time when so little money existed that nearly all transactions were
accomplished by barter. The cash that was available was locked in strong
boxes or kept hidden in homes. The shortage of silver coins was so
severe that people often cut bills in half, using them as half dollars
in lieu of coins. Essentially many of the surrounding Metro East
communities we serve today were frontier towns or did not exist at all.
The need for a stable bank must have been obvious.
That’s why, on January 1, 1868 Edward M. West and his
son-in-law, Civil War veteran, Major William R. Prickett founded “West &
Prickett”--later renamed TheBANK of Edwardsville. And in spite of the
economic depressions of 1873 and 1893, TheBANK continued to grow and
prosper--even to the point of consolidating with the Madison County
State Bank in 1899.
What do TheBANK’s early beginnings mean to you? It means
that when you invest your money with us, or allow us to help with your
lending needs, you’ve chosen a secure bank with a tradition of being the
leading locally-owned bank in the Metro East. It also means you’ve
joined generations of customers who trusted us to be their bank.
Think of it as being a member of our family tree. Being
a customer makes you a part of history--our history. And we’re proud you
are a part of us.
“TheBANK’s Formative Years: 1900 - 1960”
At the turn of the century TheBANK of Edwardsville was already the
third largest bank in Madison County, Illinois. . .with $517,081.00 in
deposits! And just like the Wright Brothers and their flying machine of
a few years later, TheBANK was about to “take off”.
According to a local newspaper on June 15, 1914:
“The Bank of Edwardsville, one of Madison County’s oldest and
soundest financial institutions today opened for business in its
handsome new five-story building. The area’s first ‘Skyscraper it is
impressive with. . .dramatic terra cotta.”
Today, the building is a memory, but the nearly
100-year-old terra cotta is on display at TheBANK’s Main Office.
In 1917, we continued our growth trend by absorbing the First
National Bank and then again adding a five-story addition in 1925. In
the mist of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt signed
the Banking Act of 1933 which established the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation (FDIC)--still today, the best security for your savings and
available only through banks.
Following another building expansion in the late 50’s, TheBANK
took its first step toward an age of innovation by installing a new
fully-automated time and temperature sign in 1960. Considered
groundbreaking for its time, TheBANK became known for years thereafter
as the bank “At the Time and Temperature Corner”. This tradition of
state-of-the-art signs at our banking centers continues today.
As a bank we take pride in not only surviving but prospering
during a period of three wars and the worst economic collapse in U.S.
history. It could only have happened by being competitive and by
offering the highest personal service possible--a tradition we carry on
today. In the words of President Franklin Roosevelt:
“After all, there is an element. . .more important than currency,
more important than gold, and that is the confidence of the people.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
“TheBANK's Innovative Years: 1961 - 1989”
Cassettes tapes; 8-track tapes; CDs. Calculators; word processors;
PCs. Push button phones; cordless phones; cell phones. . .all evolved
from the 60’s to 80’s and all were extremely innovative for their time. |
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When TheBANK constructed a
sidewalk teller window in 1961 and introduced five drive-up lanes at its
new Main Office in 1971, these innovations were considered
revolutionary. From that point on, our mission has always been to offer
the most innovative and convenient products, services and locations to
our customers. Although it seems there are banks on every
corner, it wasn’t until 1976 that a state law was passed allowing banks
to establish a branch within a few miles of its home office; our
Montclaire Center opened later that year.
TheBANK was also one of the first in the area to introduce an ATM and
ATM cards in 1977. Our first 24-hour drive-up Magic Touch ATM, installed
in 1981, was one of the first of its kind in Illinois. We were also the
first in the nation to offer the option of buying postage stamps through
our ATMs.
Another innovative step by TheBANK occurred with the
introduction of Magic Phone Banking in 1988. A totally unique service in
region at the time, our still popular Magic Phone service allows
customers 24-hour access to their accounts through any touchtone phone.
These innovations may be commonplace today, but each
have played a key role in the development of the many convenient
products and services we offer: debit cards; internet banking; online
bill paying-- even our Deposit@Work, which allows commercial customers
to use their office computers to scan checks and deposits and
electronically transmit them to TheBANK directly from their business.
Our customers can always look forward to even more new
innovative products and services. That’s because, even though we’ve been
around for over 140 years. . . we’ve only just begun.
“TheBANK's Growth Years: 1990 - Today”
The growth of a bank can be measured in so many ways but it’s safe to
say that most people measure a bank’s growth by the number of its
locations.
So how much has TheBANK grown in its 140+ year history?
For the first 108 years, we had one location in downtown Edwardsville;
in the next 14 years we grew to two locations in Edwardsville. Today we
have 20 locations in 13 communities throughout Madison and St. Clair
counties in Illinois. You’ll find us from Alton to Belleville; from
Granite City to Highland; in a grocery store and on the Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville campus.
Is that growth? Is that progress? Is that a good thing?
. . .yes, yes and yes!
Growth is key to TheBANK’s history. As a matter of fact,
we first consolidated with another bank way back in 1899! Less than 20
years ago, TheBANK ventured outside the immediate Edwardsville area for
the first time with locations in Collinsville and Troy, Illinois. But
regardless of when, where or how we have opened new locations, the “why”
has always been the same: for the benefit of our customers, our
communities and our employees.
As our customer, you expect and deserve convenience. In
addition to online banking and nearly 30 ATM locations, you can bet we
have a local banking center in and around your neighborhood. . .or on
your way to work. . . or along the route of your daily errands. Next
time you are “out and about” check out how many times you see our name.
Multiple locations also allow us to be personally
involved in the communities we serve. We take pride in our support of
the many civic, school, church and charitable organizations serving the
surrounding cities, towns and villages. It’s important to you and it’s
important to us.
We also realize that without our employees, our banking
centers are nothing more than brick and mortar. At TheBANK, having local
employees is what being a community bank is all about. Many of our 415
employees live where they work. We’re your friends. We’re your
neighbors. Our children and grandchildren go to school together. “The
People You Know & Trust” isn’t just a slogan to us, it’s who we are.
Celebrating our recent 140th anniversary has given us an
opportunity to reflect on who we are and why we are here: we’re the
leading, locally-owned community bank in the Metro East whose tradition
is to offer stability and customer confidence.
It’s been that way for generations and generations. And
that’s why we look forward to the future. . .with you and for you. |
Equal Housing Lender | MEMBER FDIC