Standard Bank was incorporated as Standard State Bank in 1947. It served the southwest metropolitan Chicago community at 79th Street and Ashland Avenue. In 1970, the Bank moved to 95th Street and Western Avenue in the Evergreen Park community. In 1980, the Bank’s first branch was opened in the Oak Lawn community and, in 1986, a second branch began to serve the community of Palos Park. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s Standard Bank & Trust Co. continued to expand into the communities of Orland Park, Hickory Hills and Naperville, Illinois. Standard Bank and Trust’s corporate headquarters are now located in Hickory Hills.

Princeton National Bancorp is the holding company for Citizens First National Bank in north-central Illinois. Founded in 1865, the bank serves area residents and businesses through more than 20 branches in nearly as many communities. It offers traditional services such as checking and savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, and credit cards. Business loans account for the largest portion of the company's loan portfolio, followed by commercial and residential mortgages. The bank also writes agricultural, construction, and consumer installment loans. Through Citizens Financial Advisors, it offers insurance, investments, farm management, and fiduciary services.

North State Bancorp is the holding company for North State Bank, which serves the Raleigh/Durham and Wilmington metropolitan areas of North Carolina through about 10 locations. Targeting professionals, property managers, not-for-profits, community associations, and consumers, the bank offers standard services such as checking and savings accounts, as well as wealth management and brokerage services. It uses funds from deposits mainly to originate commercial real estate and construction loans. Directors and executive officers of North State Bancorp own nearly half of the company, which was established in 2000 by president and CEO Larry Barbour.

Commercial National Financial is the holding company for Commercial Bank & Trust of PA, which serves individuals and local businesses through more than five branches in western Pennsylvania's Westmoreland County. Founded in 1934, the bank offers standard deposit services like checking and savings accounts, money market investments, CDs, and IRAs, as well as trust and asset management services. Commercial Bank & Trust of PA's loan portfolio consists mostly of residential mortgages (more than 55%) and commercial mortgages (about 30%), in addition to business, construction, consumer, and municipal loans. Executive officers and board members own more than 20% of Commercial National Financial.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited is one of China's biggest banks and one of the largest in the world. ICBC, which went public in 2006 in a record-setting IPO, manages around 17,000 domestic branches and more than 160 overseas branches and offices. The bank's financial services, offered in Chinese renminbi and foreign currencies, include wholesale, retail, and international banking for more than 3 million corporate clients and some 190 million individuals. It oversees about a quarter of the total domestic assets owned by China's commercial banks. The Chinese government controls more than half of ICBC.

The regional bank formally BEKB | BCBE (Cantonal Bank of Berne)operates nearly 80 offices in and around Berne, Switzerland, focusing on providing commercial banking and lending products and services to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses. It has about $20 million under management. Key products include mortgages, deposit accounts, asset management, and property advisory services. BEKB | BCBE also offers online banking, as well as investment counseling provided through its private bank based in Soluthurn. BEKB | BCBE, which was formed in 1834, is more than 50% owned by the Canton of Berne (the regional government).

CSB Bancorp is the holding company for The Commercial and Savings Bank, which serves Holmes and Tuscarawas counties and surrounding areas of east-central Ohio from about a dozen branches. Founded in 1879, the bank offers traditional products such as checking and savings accounts and CDs, as well as credit cards, trust services, estate planning, and corporate and individual retirement plans. Its loan portfolio is composed mostly of residential and commercial mortgages; the bank also originates business, construction, and consumer installment loans. CSB Bancorp bought another area community bank, the three-branch Indian Village Community Bank, in 2008.

Banque Cantonale de Geneve (BCGE) offers a range of consumer and business banking services through approximately 25 branches in the Swiss canton of Geneva. It operates in France and other parts of Switzerland, as well. The regional bank offers retail services such as deposit accounts and loans; its corporate banking division specializes in financing for real estate developments and construction. In 2008 BCGE merged subsidiaries Anker Bank and Synchrony Asset Management into the main organization. Together, the canton of Geneva and the city of Geneva control more than three-quarters of BCGE's stock.

Mercantile Bank Corporation is the holding company for Mercantile Bank of Michigan (formerly Mercantile Bank of West Michigan), which operates more than five branches in and around Grand Rapids, Holland, and Lansing. (The latter was the community bank's first foray outside the western part of Michigan, prompting the name change in 2005.) The bank targets local consumers and businesses, offering standard deposit services such as checking and savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, and health savings accounts. Loans for real estate secured by nonresidential properties make up more than half of the company's loan portfolio; business loans are about a quarter.

Chartered in the 1950s as a credit union to serve its hometown Marine base, HeritageBank of the South has remained "always faithful" to its local customers. The flagship subsidiary of Heritage Financial Group operates some 15 branches that provide traditional deposit and loan products and services to individuals and small to midsized businesses in southwestern Georgia and Ocala, Florida. Consumer loans and residential mortgages each account for about a quarter of the company's loan portfolio, which also includes business loans and commercial property loans. The bank also offers investment and insurance products and services. Mutual holding company Heritage MHC owns more than 70% of Heritage Financial.

Inviting Real Estate Agents, Job Placements Agents, Educational Institutes, Software Service Providers, Real Estate Builders, Marriage Bureaus, Travel Agents, Restaurant Owners, Health & Fitness Centers and other Local Businesses to Post a FREE Classified Advertisement on Cootera.com Classifieds Website.