HR0628 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0628 LRB102 25411 LAW 34696 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate First National Bank & Trust Company on the occasion of its 150th anniversary; and

WHEREAS, First National Bank & Trust Company was granted its original charter under the name of DeWitt County National Bank on January 20, 1872, the charter it continues to operate under today; the bank was the first nationally chartered bank in DeWitt County; and

WHEREAS, DeWitt County National Bank was founded with the capital investment of $50,000 provided by Col. Thomas Snell, J. Thorton Snell, and William R. Carle, who became the bank's first president; and

WHEREAS, As time passed, DeWitt County National Bank opened a savings department in connection with its existing commercial department; the bank also underwent its first remodel and the addition of safe deposit boxes, a then-new feature to banking; it assumed the assets of the People's Bank of Clinton in 1925; and

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of President Richard Snell, DeWitt County National Bank survived a widespread panic that ensued with the crash of the stock market in 1929 and the Great Depression; Thomas Snell Dinsmore, a grandson of one of the original founders, became president in 1936; the bank assumed the assets of the Farmer's and Merchant's Bank of Wapella in 1938; and

WHEREAS, DeWitt County National Bank continued to expand throughout the remainder of the 20th century; the bank continued to mirror the growth and modernization of the nation and doubled in size, adding four teller windows, a night depository, two additional vaults, and 500 safe deposit boxes in 1948; it underwent extensive remodeling in 1969 before building and opening a drive-up facility three years later; and

WHEREAS, DeWitt County National Bank's name changed to First National Bank & Trust Company in 1974 to reflect the addition of the trust department, which handles trusts, durable powers of attorney, land and insurance trusts, and estates; and

WHEREAS, The First National Bank & Trust Company celebrated its 125th year of serving DeWitt County in 1997; it added online banking to provide greater client access to their account information in a secure online environment in 2000; the bank moved locations from 400 South Side Square to its current location on Kelli Court in Clinton in 2007; and

WHEREAS, First National Bank & Trust Company was acquired by the TS Banking Group in 2017, a multicharter bank holding company group with $1.5 billion in banking and fiduciary assets across Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, and California; the TS Banking Group is headquartered in Treynor, Iowa, which is located in the Omaha, Nebraska MSA; and

WHEREAS, First National Bank & Trust Company acquired the State Bank of Arcadia in Wisconsin, with $210 million in assets, from B&E Investments on October 1, 2021, and this addition to the company has enhanced the bank's financial strength, competitive positioning, and talented employee base; and

WHEREAS, First National Bank & Trust Company, as a community bank, is an integral part of both the local community and economy; the bank is dedicated to community reinvestment and gives 10% of its net income back to the community; it is also committed to teaching financial literacy, hosting educational events, and partnering with local organizations and nonprofits; and

WHEREAS, Today, First National Bank & Trust Company has five locations in Illinois and Wisconsin, employs approximately 50 local people, and possesses $400 million in assets; it offers a full line of products and services that are designed to meet the financial needs of consumers and businesses and remains committed to providing the most advanced, secure, and user-friendly bank technology, service from a knowledgeable team, and innovative tools in combination with the comfort of personalized service from a local bank; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate First National Bank & Trust Company on its 150th anniversary and wish the bank continued success; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to President Josh Shofner of First National Bank & Trust Company as an expression of our esteem and respect.