The Citizens Bank
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Always In Your Corner
The phrase, “brick and mortar,” denotes a locally owned business or a corporate business with multiple locations operating in a specific area. Any company that provides goods or services to a local population is considered a local business. The Citizens Bank is a “brick and mortar” Mississippi business. Community banks tend to focus on the needs of the businesses and families where the bank holds branches and offices. Lending decisions are made by people who understand the local needs of families, businesses and farmers. Community banks channel most of their loans to the neighborhoods where their depositors live and work, helping to keep local communities vibrant and growing.
The bank was started by 48 individuals, in 1908, who set out to make banking a reality in Philadelphia, MS. Those 48 individuals were the bank’s first stockholders. In 1917, seeing the advantages of concentrating on being a local bank, the bank’s stockholders decided to surrender its national bank charter and file for a state charter. They changed the name from First National Bank to The Citizens Bank. They now have 27 branches with 290 employees and are continuing to grow their footprint in Mississippi, serving a total of 16 counties in the state.
Being a local bank doesn’t mean you don’t have all the services of a national bank. The Citizens Bank offers personal checking and saving accounts, IRA Roth accounts, CD’s with a guaranteed rate of 
return, Health Savings Accounts, Personal Loans, Mobile Banking, Business Banking Services and Products, and Mortgage Loans.
“Our employees consider themselves Community Bankers. They embrace the concept of true community banking,” says Greg McKee, President and CEO. “We enjoy the ability to participate in economic development initiatives and business opportunities throughout East Central Mississippi that originate with Meridian and Lauderdale County,” he adds. “The Citizens Bank is focused on being an advocate for businesses in the communities that we serve. By being a part of the chamber, we are helping develop and implement programs that directly build a better community.”
Over the past several years, The Citizens Bank has been acknowledged nationally for their financial strength and performance. They are consistently named one of the country’s top 200 performing community banks by American Banker magazine and a top community bank in Mississippi. They have been named one of Forbes Best Banks in America and in 2019, President Greg McKee was appointed Chairman of The Mississippi Bankers Association.
The Citizens Bank is proud anytime a customer refers to them as family. “We feel the same way about our customers,” says Channing Peebles, Marketing Specialist. With The Citizens Bank, you don’t just have an account – you have a connection, a local connection who is always in your corner.
The Citizens Bank
521 Main St., Philadelphia, MS