One of the most important parts of being a bank is the customers and the community that we work with on a daily basis. Allied First Bank is very unique, as we have a nationwide customer base from our beginnings as a credit union, as well as our local Oswego community that we serve as the only true community bank in town.When we thought to ourselves what defines our local community, we decided it shouldn't be the bank that tells the story, but rather the people that live here should tell us what they think are the best parts of the town, So, we teamed up the Oswego East High School's Broadcasting Department lead by Bill Gutman, and they created their "Top 10 Reasons to Love Oswego":

Citizens South Banking Corporation operates as the holding company for Citizens South Bank that provides savings bank services to local customers in the United States. The company offers various deposit products, including demand deposits, money market deposits, savings accounts, and certificates of deposit. Its loan portfolio comprises residential and nonresidential real estate loans, construction loans, commercial business loans, consumer loans, investment securities, and mortgage-backed securities. In addition, the company acts as a broker in the origination of loans secured by one-to-four family dwellings and in the sale of uninsured financial products. As of May 17, 2010, it operated a network of 21 branch offices. Citizens South Banking Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Gastonia, North Carolina.

DZ BANK is the central institution for some 1,000 local cooperative banks, which serve 30 million customers from a combined 12,000 branch offices across Germany. It provides administrative services for its member banks, which are also the company's owners. Additionally, DZ BANK provides corporate banking services including commercial lending for small to midsized businesses, investment banking, structured financing, and private banking. GZ-Bank and DG Bank -- Germany's primary central institutions for cooperative lenders merged in 2001 to create today's DZ BANK.

The Chinese economy would be nothing without the People's Bank of China. The central bank controls monetary policy, sets the exchange rate, regulates the gold market, manages the state treasury, and oversees other financial institutions. Like the Federal Reserve System in the US, the People's Bank of China lends money to commercial banks as necessary. It also issues currency. In mainland China, the reminbi is the name of the currency, and the yuan is the base unit (like the dollar). The People's Bank of China operates nine regional branches in addition to its headquarters in Beijing. The bank was established in 1948, and until 1978 it was the only bank in China. It became the country's central bank in 1983.

Finansbank has nearly 450 branches throughout the country offering financial services for both commercial and retail banking consumers. Finansbank also offers a network of ATMs, as well as online banking services. The number of credit cards issued by Finansbank grew from 2.3 million in 2005 to more than 3.5 million in 2008. The rapidly expanding bank, founded in 1987 as a four-branch institution by Hüsnü Özyegin, is controlled by the National Bank of Greece. The Greek bank bought more than 45% of Finansbank's stock in 2006, then raised its stake to more than 77% in 2009.

Jeffersonville Bancorp is the holding company for The First National Bank of Jeffersonville. The bank serves businesses and consumers through about 10 locations in southeastern New York's Sullivan County. First National Bank of Jeffersonville offers such standard retail services as demand deposit, savings, and money market accounts; NOW accounts; CDs; and IRAs to fund a variety of loans. Nearly 40% of the bank's loan portfolio consists of residential mortgages, while commercial mortgages account for another 35%. The bank also provides home equity, business, consumer, construction, and agricultural loans.

Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Tennessee Commerce Bank that offers various retail and commercial banking services to small to medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals in the Nashville metropolitan statistical area, Tennessee. It offers various deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market investment accounts, certificates of deposits, and retirement accounts. The company’s loan portfolio comprises consumer installment loans, various mortgage loans, personal lines of credit, home equity loans, credit cards, real estate construction loans, commercial loans, and letters of credit. In addition, it issues VISA credit cards and serves as a merchant depository for cardholder drafts under VISA credit cards; and offers check cards and debit cards, courier services, access to third-party automated teller machines, and electronic banking services. As of December 31, 2009, Tennessee Commerce Bank provided its services from a single location in the Cool Springs commercial area of Franklin, Tennessee, as well as operated three loan production offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Atlanta, Georgia. Tennessee Commerce Bancorp, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee.

State Street Bank provides custody, shareholder services, brokerage, securities finance, research, and other management services for institutional clients around the world. Customers include mutual funds, pension plans, and investment managers. At the top of the custody-services heap, State Street has about $19 trillion in assets under custody. It also has nearly $2 trillion in assets under administration. Other subsidiaries include asset manager State Street Global Advisors and State Street Alternative Investment Solutions.

The First Bank reputation is first based on a Board of Directors made up of a significant group of business leaders and professional individuals throughout metro Augusta. The bank also has attracted a number of outstanding professional bankers to serve as the management team. Take a look at our listing of Board of Directors and Bank Officers. You will be impressed. The Board and bank management have also brought together highly skilled staff members to offer high tech, professional banking services with a community bank (hands on) style of delivery.

United Community Banks is the holding company for 27 community banks united in their quest to provide consumer and business banking services in Georgia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee. Operating mainly under the United Community Bank or UCB banners, the banks collectively have more than 100 branches offering deposit products, mortgages, and other services. Residential construction and land development loans account for the largest segment of United Community Banks' loan portfolio (more than 30%); residential mortgages make up about 25%. The company has been growing through acquisitions.

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