Aquesta Bank & Insurance

What Aquesta Bank & Insurance does

Aquesta Bank & Insurance is a full-service community financial institution headquartered in Cornelius, North Carolina, founded in 2006 and operating as a publicly traded holding company on the OTC Pink market under the symbol AQFH. The company employs between 101 and 250 people and combines a chartered bank with an in-house insurance agency, distributing deposits, loans, and insurance products primarily to households and small businesses in the Lake Norman / Charlotte metro region of North Carolina. The firm is led by Jim Engel as Chief Executive Officer & President.

The business model is a traditional community banking franchise augmented by insurance distribution. Revenue is generated through net interest income on loans and investment securities funded by deposits, supplemented by non-interest income from insurance commissions, deposit account fees, and treasury-related services. Customer acquisition is primarily relationship-based through the local branch and agency network rather than digital-native channels. Capital structure includes outside private equity sponsorship, with Castle Creek Partners leading a $15.2 million financing in February 2019, an arrangement typical of community banks positioning for growth through balance-sheet expansion, de novo branching, or M&A. The combination of a banking charter, an insurance license, and a public listing provides three distinct sources of franchise value: regulatory trust, cross-sell economics, and a tradable equity currency.

Name

Aquesta Bank & Insurance

Legal name

United Community Bank

Website

https://aquesta.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aquesta Bank & Insurance is a publicly traded community bank and insurance agency headquartered in Cornelius, North Carolina, serving households and small businesses in the Lake Norman / Charlotte metro with deposits, loans, and insurance products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Banking

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD)

Keywords

• Community banking services
• Personal insurance products
• Consumer lending
• Business banking
• Deposit accounts

Headquarters

HQ city

Cornelius

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Lending: Traditional banking revenue generated from interest earned on loans including personal loans, home equity loans, mortgages, business loans, SBA lending, and commercial lending products
2. Deposit Account Fees and Services: Revenue from checking and savings account maintenance, overdraft fees, wire transfers, and other deposit-related service charges
3. Digital Banking Services: Revenue from credit card products, merchant services, treasury management services, and wealth management advisory services
4. Mortgage Lending: Revenue from mortgage origination, refinancing, and home construction lending products

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aquesta Bank & Insurance is a full-service community bank headquartered in Cornelius, North Carolina, offering personal and business banking products such as deposit accounts, lending, and mortgages, paired with insurance products and services. The firm serves individual consumers and small-to-mid-sized businesses across its North Carolina market.

Product overview

United Community Bank operates as a full-service regional financial institution offering a comprehensive suite of banking products across personal, business, mortgage, and wealth management segments. The bank's product architecture combines core deposit and lending products with digital banking capabilities through the United Mobile App and Online Banking platform, supplemented by treasury management and merchant services for commercial customers. Personal banking includes checking, savings, CDs, credit cards, and various loan products. Business banking encompasses checking, savings, specialized lending programs (SBA, USDA, equipment, asset-based), and treasury management services. Mortgage offerings cover home purchase, refinancing, and construction lending. Wealth management and insurance services round out the holistic financial services portfolio. The bank has been recognized for customer satisfaction in the Southeast region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Banking Services Deposit and transaction accounts (checking, savings) and consumer lending products (personal loans, mortgages) provided to individual consumers in the North Carolina market.
• Business Banking Services Deposit accounts, treasury/cash management, and commercial lending products provided to small and mid-sized businesses in North Carolina.
• Insurance Products and Services Personal and commercial insurance products offered to retail and business customers in the North Carolina market through the integrated Aquesta Bank & Insurance platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction for Retail Banking in the Southeast (J.D. Power 2026)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wreaths Across AmericaminorOthersThe Fox Carolina Surprise Squad, associated with United Community Bank in Greenville, SC, made a donation to Wreaths Across America, an organization dedicated to remembering, honoring, and teaching about fallen veterans. The local chapter placed wreaths for every fallen veteran at Woodlawn Memorial Park for Veterans Day.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• SouthState Corporation: Winter Haven, FL-headquartered regional bank that acquired Atlantic Capital; similar Southeast community-bank orientation and consolidation-via-M&A growth strategy.
• Truist Financial Corporation: Charlotte, NC-headquartered super-regional bank ($500B+ assets) formed by BB&T-SunTrust; competes across retail, business, mortgage, and wealth segments in the exact same geography.
• First Citizens BancShares: North Carolina-headquartered (Raleigh) bank holding company with $200B+ in assets; offers full retail, business, mortgage, and wealth services across the Southeast and is a direct competitor in the Charlotte metro footprint.

Direct peers

• Pinnacle Financial Partners: Nashville-based super-community bank serving Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Virginia with a premium service model and strong wealth management franchise — directly comparable in scale and segment mix.
• Carter Bank & Trust: Martinsville, VA-based community bank with NC branch footprint; comparable in scale and product mix, focused on retail and small-business banking in the Carolinas/Virginia corridor.
• TowneBank: Portsmouth, VA-based community bank with growing Carolinas presence; similar size, relationship-banking model, and wealth management and insurance offerings.
• Live Oak Bancshares: Wilmington, NC-based bank with comparable asset size focused on small-business and government-guaranteed lending; non-bank fintech subsidiaries add a parallel dimension to the hybrid-bank model.
• United Community Banks (UCBI): Southeast regional community bank (Greenville, SC) of comparable asset size and product breadth — deposit accounts, consumer/business lending, mortgages, wealth, and insurance; the closest comparable business model for a smaller hybrid bank-insurance franchise.
• First Bancorp (North Carolina): Southern Pines, NC-headquartered community bank holding company of comparable asset size; directly competes for North Carolina retail and small-business deposits and loans.

Others

• Brown & Brown Insurance: Large independent insurance brokerage; relevant benchmark for the insurance-agency revenue line of Aquesta's hybrid bank-insurance model and a likely partner or counterparty in agency consolidation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aquestabank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCialrI_WTci-LSccpPvBiSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/aquesta
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquesta-bank
• Instagraminstagram.com/unitedcommunitybank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquesta Bank & Insurance