What Starion Bank does

Starion Bank is a privately held, family-owned community bank founded in 1969 by Frank and JoAndrea Larson with the purchase of the First National Bank of Oakes, North Dakota. Through a combination of organic growth and a documented acquisition cadence (Ellendale 1970, First Southwest Bank of Mandan 1989, Northwestern Savings & Loan 1993, Security State Bank 2011), the bank has grown to over $1.8B in total assets operating 16 branches across North Dakota and Wisconsin under the leadership of CEO Craig Larson. The bank rebranded from First Southwest Bank to Starion Bank in 2016 to reflect a multi-state community banking mission.

Starion operates a unified financial services platform anchored by "Starion Bank Digital" — an online and mobile banking environment offering 24/7 account access, mobile check deposit, Zelle P2P transfers, MyCard real-time card controls, two-factor authentication, digital card issuance, in-app travel notices, and an AI-powered virtual assistant (ASTRA) for customer support. Banking products span personal checking (Cash Back, Interest, Fresh Start), savings (Youth, Regular, Money Market, Premium Money Market, Discovery, HSA, CDs), consumer loans (auto, RV, consolidation), mortgages (purchase, refinance, jumbo, FHA, VA, USDA, construction, lot, bridge), home equity, and four Mastercard credit cards. Business banking includes tiered checking (Star, Progressive, Enterprise), business loans, treasury management with ACH/wire/fraud protection, SpendTrack, a Baker Hill/Fiserv client portal, workplace banking, and Clover point-of-sale solutions. Agribusiness banking — a defined specialty with FarmerMAC and Agri-Access partnerships — covers agribusiness checking, loans, escrow management for grain and livestock sales, and multi-peril crop insurance. Starion Insurance distributes auto, home, life/disability, umbrella, business, and agribusiness policies, and Starion Investment Services offers securities and retirement products through LPL Financial. Starion Benefits, launched in May 2026, extends into employee benefits administration.

Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a diversified community bank: net interest income from the deposit-loan spread is the primary stream, supplemented by deposit and overdraft fees, Mastercard interchange, insurance commissions, LPL investment revenue sharing, Clover merchant residuals, and treasury management subscription fees. Distribution is multi-channel: 16 branches with local decision authority, 40,000+ surcharge-free ATMs via MoneyPass, a contact center (phone, text, chat, video, co-browsing via Glia), digital self-service, and a workplace-banking channel that brings products to employer worksites. Customer segments are hybrid: individual consumers, small-to-mid-size businesses, agribusiness operators and farms, high-net-worth private-banking clients, and homebuyers/mortgage customers. The bank's value proposition rests on combining the technology and product breadth of larger institutions with the personalized service and local decision-making of a community bank, supported by active community involvement (sports, arts, donations) and named relationship bankers across all markets.

Name

Starion Bank

Legal name

Starion Bank

Website

https://starionbank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Starion Bank is a family-owned community bank founded in 1969, operating 16 branches across North Dakota and Wisconsin. It provides consumer, business, agribusiness, and mortgage banking, plus insurance and investment services, to individuals, small-to-mid-sized businesses, and agricultural operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110), Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (52218), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022), Investment Advice (6282), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings) (FSABAAAA)

Keywords

• Community banking services
• Agribusiness lending
• Consumer mortgage lending
• Business treasury management
• Community bank insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Net Interest Income: Primary revenue stream from spread between interest earned on loans (mortgages, consumer loans, business loans, agricultural loans) and interest paid on deposits. Core banking business generating the majority of revenue.
2. Deposit Account Fees: Monthly service charges, overdraft fees, ATM fees from non-network ATMs, paper statement fees, and other account-related service charges.
3. Credit Card Revenue: Interchange fees from Mastercard credit and debit card transactions, annual fees on rewards cards, and other card-related charges.
4. Insurance Commission Revenue: Commissions from sale of insurance products including auto, home, life, disability, umbrella, business, and agribusiness insurance through Starion Insurance.
5. Investment Services Revenue: Revenue sharing and commissions from investment products and services offered through LPL Financial partnership, including IRAs, retirement planning, and brokerage services.
6. Merchant Services / POS: Transaction processing fees from Clover point-of-sale solutions offered to business customers.
7. Treasury Management Fees: Fees for business cash management services including wire transfers, ACH payments, fraud protection, and SpendTrack card management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Starion Bank is a privately held community bank operating 16 branches across North Dakota and Wisconsin. It provides personal banking (checking, savings, CDs, consumer loans, mortgages, credit cards), business banking (checking, loans, treasury management, Clover POS solutions), agribusiness banking (specialized loans, escrow management, FarmerMAC financing), insurance products, and investment services through LPL Financial.

Product overview

Starion Bank is a full-service financial institution operating as a unified banking platform with integrated insurance, investment, and treasury management services. The core platform is Starion Bank Digital, offering 24/7 online and mobile banking access to all accounts. The banking portfolio includes personal products (checking: Free with Cash Back, Interest, Fresh Start; savings: Youth, Regular, Money Market, Premium Money Market, Discovery, HSA, CDs), consumer loans (auto, recreational vehicles, consolidation, premier line of credit), mortgages (home purchase, construction, lot, bridge, HELOC), credit cards (Platinum Rewards, Platinum, Business Cash Back, Business Rewards), and private banking. Business services span business checking (Star, Progressive, Enterprise), business loans, treasury management, workplace banking, and Clover POS solutions. Agribusiness offerings include specialized checking, savings, loans, and escrow management for farms and ranches. Insurance products cover auto, homeowners, life/disability, umbrella, business, and agribusiness. Investment services are provided through LPL Financial. The company operates 16 branches across North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Starion Insurance: Insurance subsidiary offering auto, home, life, disability, umbrella, and business insurance products.
• Starion Investment Services
• Starion Benefits
• Starion Bank Digital

Products and services

• Free with Cash Back Checking
• Interest Checking
• Fresh Start Checking
• Youth Savings
• Regular Savings
• Money Market Savings
• Premium Money Market
• Discovery Savings
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
• Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
• Consumer Loans
• Auto Loans
• Recreational Vehicles Loans
• Loan Consolidation
• Premier Line of Credit
• Ready Credit
• Platinum Rewards Credit Card
• Platinum Credit Card
• Business Cash Back Credit Card
• Business Rewards Credit Card
• Home Loans (Mortgages)
• Jumbo Loans
• FHA Loans
• VA Loans
• USDA Rural Development Loans
• Lot Loans
• Construction Loans
• Bridge Loans
• Home Equity Loans
• Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC)
• Private Banking
• Star Business Checking
• Progressive Business Checking
• Enterprise Business Checking
• Business Savings
• Business Loans
• Treasury Management
• Clover Point-of-Sale Solutions
• Agribusiness Checking
• Agribusiness Savings
• Agribusiness Loans
• Agribusiness Escrow Management
• Workplace Banking
• Business Insurance
• Agribusiness Insurance
• Auto & Vehicle Insurance
• Homeowners Insurance
• Life & Disability Insurance
• Umbrella Insurance
• Starion Benefits
• Starion Investment Services
• Starion Bank Digital

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 minutes to open an account online
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MoneyPasscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with MoneyPass network providing surcharge-free ATM access at over 40,000 locations nationwide, including Walmart MoneyPass Express ATMs. Starion customers can locate surcharge-free ATMs using MoneyPass locator tools.
• Clover (Fiserv)coreTechnology or IntegrationClover point-of-sale solutions offered to business customers through Fiserv. Products include Clover Go (wireless reader), Clover Flex (full-featured POS), Clover Mini (compact POS), and Clover Station (powerful POS system) for payment processing and business management.
• Early Warning Services (Zelle)coreTechnology or IntegrationZelle peer-to-peer payment integration allowing Starion customers to send and receive money using email or mobile numbers. Zelle and related marks are owned by Early Warning Services, LLC.
• Baker Hill (Fiserv)coreTechnology or IntegrationClient Portal powered by Baker Hill (now part of Fiserv) providing secure document sharing between business customers and bankers. Allows businesses to upload tax returns and other documentation securely.
• Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile wallet integration allowing Starion debit and credit cards to be added to Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay for secure contactless payments.
• MastercardcoreTechnology or IntegrationDebit and credit cards issued through Mastercard network, providing worldwide acceptance and zero liability protection for cardholders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bell Bank: Fargo-headquartered community bank with a comparable footprint across North Dakota and Minnesota, offering consumer, business, agribusiness, mortgage, and wealth services at similar scale. Closest head-to-head competitor for talent, deposits, and ag loans in Starion's core ND market.
• Gate City Bank: Large ND-based mutual community bank with a similar full-service product mix (deposits, mortgages, agribusiness, wealth) and comparable customer profile. Directly competes with Starion in ND retail, mortgage, and ag lending markets.
• First International Bank & Trust: Family-owned community bank headquartered in Watford City, ND with branches across ND and into MT and AZ. Directly comparable in ownership structure, agribusiness focus, and full-service community banking model.
• Alerus Financial: Grand Forks-based bank and wealth management firm offering commercial banking, mortgage, retirement, and benefits administration. Overlaps with Starion on business banking and with the new Starion Benefits launch.
• Choice Financial Group: ND-headquartered community bank holding company with comparable agribusiness and commercial banking focus across small-town Midwestern markets. Directly comparable scale and product set.
• Bremer Financial Services: St. Paul-based regional bank with significant presence in ND and WI, serving consumer, commercial, and ag customers. Operates at larger scale than Starion but competes head-to-head in overlapping ND/WI markets.
• American Bank Center: ND-based community bank offering consumer, business, mortgage, and ag products across rural North Dakota. Closely comparable in size, customer mix, and footprint to Starion's ND branches.
• Associated Bank: Green Bay, WI-based regional bank with significant Wisconsin retail, commercial, and mortgage presence. Directly competes with Starion's WI branch network (Middleton, Monona, Sun Prairie).
• Johnson Financial Group: Wisconsin-based privately held financial services company offering banking, wealth, and insurance — closely mirroring Starion's integrated community-bank-plus-insurance-plus-investment model in the same WI geography.

Broad incumbents

• Heartland Financial (now HTLF / U.S. Bancorp Community Banking): Multi-state community bank holding company recently acquired by U.S. Bancorp, operating across the Midwest including ND and WI. Represents a much larger incumbent competitor that may pressure Starion on commercial and agribusiness deals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/starionbank
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFkudjVkKAo1SWb3-pngzVA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/starionbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starion-financial
• Instagraminstagram.com/starionbank

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Starion Bank