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.

First Bancshares is hoping you'll remember it for its banks. Iowa First Bancshares is the holding company for First National Bank of Muscatine (founded in 1870) and First National Bank in Fairfield (founded in 1865 and acquired by Iowa First Bancshares in 1985). The banks, which operate eight branches in the two southeastern Iowa towns for which they're named, offer individuals and businesses checking, savings, money market, and time deposit accounts, as well as other traditional products and services including loans, trust services, debit cards, credit-related insurance, Internet and telephone banking, and brokerage services.

Blackhawk Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company of Blackhawk State Bank, a commercial bank operating in Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States. The bank provides various consumer banking, business banking, and related financial services. Consumer banking services to individuals include demand, savings, and time deposits. Consumer lending services include installment loans, mortgage loans, overdraft protection, personal lines of credit, and credit cards. The business banking services, which are provided to small business, commercial, and governmental organizations, include commercial and commercial real estate lending, deposits, cash management, and letters of credit. The bank’s investment portfolio consists primarily of U.S. government and agency securities, mutual funds, corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, and municipal bonds or repurchase agreements backed by similar securities. The bank’s deposits are divided between interest bearing and noninterest bearing. Noninterest bearing deposits consist of checking accounts of individuals, businesses, and governmental organizations. The interest-bearing deposits include savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and NOW accounts. As of December 31, 2003, the bank operated 11 branches in Wisconsin and Illinois. Blackhawk Bancorp was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Hawthorn Bancshares keeps a hawk eye on its customers' money. It is the indirect holding company for Hawthorn Bank, which operates some two-dozen branches in central and west-central Missouri. Originally founded in 1932, the bank offers traditional commercial banking services including deposit accounts, CDs, and lending. Its loan portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, consumer installment loans, and commercial and residential mortgages. The bank also offers trust and brokerage services. Hawthorn Bancshares owns Hawthorn Bank through subsidiary Union State Bancshares.

Eagle Bancorp would recommend its community-oriented EagleBank subsidiary. The bank serves businesses and individuals through more than a dozen branches in Washington, DC, and its suburbs. Deposit products include checking, savings, and money market accounts; certificates of deposit; and IRAs. Commercial, residential, and construction real estate loans combined represent about 70% of its loan portfolio. The bank, which has significant expertise as a Small Business Administration lender, also writes business, consumer, and home equity loans.

TrustCo Bank Corp is the holding company for Trustco Bank, which operates in eastern New York, central and western Florida, and parts of Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. It has about 130 branches, offering individual and business customers a variety of deposit products and trust services. It primarily originates residential and commercial mortgages, which account for about three-quarters of its loan portfolio; it also writes business loans and home equity lines of credit. Since 2003, TrustCo Bank has nearly doubled its branch network in New York and Florida by opening new locations. It plans to continue opening new branches, albeit not as rapidly.

First Federal Community Bank of Bucyrus was chartered in 1888 as Bucyrus Loan & Building Company. Business was initially conducted from the law offices of D.W. Locke, located in the current FirstMerit Bank building on the square in downtown Bucyrus. Bucyrus Loan & Building Co. soon moved to the rear of the First National Bank building, located in the 100 block of West Rensselaer Street. That office was only open one hour per week, with weekly board meetings held shortly after closing.

Northeast Bancorp is the holding company for Northeast Bank, which operates about a dozen branches in western and southern Maine. Founded in 1872, the bank offers standard retail services such as checking and savings accounts, NOW and money market accounts, CDs, and trust services, as well as financial planning and brokerage. Residential mortgages account for about a third of all loans; commercial mortgages and consumer loans each make up about a quarter of all loans. The bank also writes business loans and construction loans. A subsidiary of the bank offers property/casualty insurance coverage. Newly created investment entity FHB Formation plans to acquire a 60% stake in Northeast Bancorp.

Public Bank Berhad has about 250 branches throughout Malaysia, where it is one of the top lenders and fund operators. Offerings include deposit accounts, credit cards, home loans, and insurance plans. In addition to retail and commercial services, it provides corporate banking, brokerage, investment banking, wealth management, and Islamic banking. Public Bank has more than 100 overseas branches in countries including Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The company was founded in 1966 by chairman Tan Sri Dato' Sri Dr. Teh Hong Piow.

Wing Hang Bank offers retail banking, with a focus on mortgage lending, as well as consumer finance services, leasing, wealth management, insurance, securities brokerage, corporate banking, and treasury services. Wing Hang Bank has about 60 locations throughout Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China. The bank was founded in 1937 as a money-changing business. Chairman Patrick Fung and his family control Wing Hang Bank. It also is affiliated with The Bank of New York Mellon, which holds a 20% stake.

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