Unified Bank

What Unified Bank does

Unified Bank is a state-chartered commercial bank founded in 1902 and headquartered in Martins Ferry, Ohio. It is the sole operating subsidiary of publicly traded bank holding company United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBCP). The bank operates 19-20 banking centers across 8 Ohio counties and Marshall County, West Virginia, with a Loan Production Office in Wheeling, WV and a second West Virginia branch under construction.

The bank offers a full-service consumer and commercial product suite. Personal banking includes the Freedom Checking family (basic, Direct Interest, Gold Interest for $1,500+ balances, and 50+ Interest variants) plus a Freedom Debit Mastercard with nationwide ATM-fee reimbursement, savings, money market, CD/IRA, Zelle, mortgages (through the Unified Mortgage division), auto loans, home equity, and credit cards. Business banking includes free Business Checking, Business Savings, and a Cash Management suite providing ACH origination, virtual teller/remote deposit, zero-balance accounts, automatic credit sweep, merchant services, wire transfers, and QuickBooks integration, complemented by Positive Pay fraud mitigation and commercial lending (C&I, commercial real estate, equipment financing, lines of credit, SBA loans).

Unified Bank generates revenue primarily through net interest spread on its loan portfolio (mortgages, consumer, commercial) and through transaction-based and account-based fees on deposits, treasury, wires, and merchant services. Customer acquisition is driven by physical branch distribution, community sponsorship and event marketing (including an Olympic-athlete brand partnership), financial literacy programs, and digital channels (web banking, iOS/Android apps, Zelle). Target segments span individual consumers, SMBs, mid-market commercial clients, and government/non-profit organizations across the Ohio Valley.

Name

Unified Bank

Legal name

Unified Bank

Website

https://unifiedbank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Unified Bank is a 120-year-old Ohio-based community bank and sole operating subsidiary of United Bancorp (NASDAQ: UBCP), operating 19-20 branches across Ohio and West Virginia to serve consumer, SMB, commercial, and government/non-profit customers with full-service deposit, lending, treasury, and digital banking products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Martins Ferry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

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: The bank generates primary revenue through interest earned on loans including mortgages, auto loans, home equity, commercial real estate, equipment financing, and lines of credit
2. Fee-Based Services: Revenue from account fees, transaction charges, wire transfers, merchant services, credit card services, and other banking service charges
3. Deposit Account Revenue: Revenue generated from maintaining customer deposits, used for lending activities and generating interest spread

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Unified Bank is a full-service community bank operating 19-20 branches across Ohio and West Virginia. It provides personal banking products (checking, savings, mortgages, consumer loans) and business/commercial banking services including lending, cash management, merchant services, and treasury management to consumers, small businesses, commercial clients, municipalities, and non-profit organizations.

Product overview

Unified Bank is a full-service community bank offering a comprehensive suite of personal and business banking products through a platform-plus-services architecture. The personal banking lineup centers on the Freedom Checking family (including Freedom Direct, Freedom Gold Interest, and Freedom 50 Interest Checking variants) paired with the Freedom Debit Mastercard featuring nationwide no-ATM-fee reimbursement. Complementary savings products include Savings, Money Market, and CD/IRA accounts. Lending offerings span Mortgage (via Unified Mortgage division), Auto Loans, Home Equity, and Credit Cards. Digital banking capabilities are delivered through Online & Mobile Banking and dedicated Mobile Apps. For business customers, the bank provides Business Checking, Business Savings, and Cash Management services featuring ACH Origination, Merchant Services, Virtual Teller, and QuickBooks Integration. Treasury management is supported through Positive Pay fraud protection and commercial lending. The bank also offers Financial Education programs and a suite of Calculators for customer engagement. The holding company, United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBCP), is publicly traded.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unified Mortgage: Mortgage division of Unified Bank offering home purchase loans and mortgage products.

Products and services

• Freedom Checking (Basic, Direct Interest, Gold Interest, 50 Interest variants) Personal checking account family with multiple variants: Freedom Checking (no minimum balance, no monthly fee), Freedom Direct Interest Checking (requires direct deposit), Freedom Gold Interest Checking ($1,500 minimum for higher rate), and Freedom 50 Interest Checking (for customers over 50). Includes free online/mobile banking, bill pay, and e-statements.
• Savings Account Basic FDIC-insured savings account for individuals to deposit and grow funds.
• Money Market Account Interest-bearing savings product with competitive rates and limited transactions for individuals.
• CD/IRA Certificates of Deposit and Individual Retirement Accounts with fixed terms and guaranteed returns.
• Mortgage Home purchase loans offered through Unified Mortgage, a division of Unified Bank, for residential real estate purchases.
• Auto Loans Financing solutions for new and used vehicle purchases.
• Home Equity Home equity loans and lines of credit allowing homeowners to borrow against property value.
• Credit Cards Business and consumer credit cards for purchasing power and rewards.
• Freedom Debit Mastercard Debit card with no ATM fees nationwide; Unified reimburses surcharges at any ATM in the USA.
• Online and Mobile Banking Digital banking platform enabling customers to access accounts, transfer funds, pay bills, deposit checks, and manage finances through web and mobile applications.
• Zelle Digital payment service enabling fast money transfers between bank accounts.
• Business Checking Free business checking with no minimum balance, no monthly service charge, and 1,000 free monthly transaction items; includes Free Online Banking, Bill Pay, and Debit Card.
• Business Savings Interest-bearing business savings account with FDIC coverage, $100 minimum opening deposit, and Cash Management services available.
• Cash Management Online business banking suite including Online Banking, Merchant Services, ACH Origination, Virtual Teller, Zero Balance Accounts, Automatic Credit Sweep, Online Wire Transfers, and QuickBooks Integration.
• Merchant Services Payment processing services enabling businesses to accept credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, electronic checks, contactless payments, and mobile wallets.
• Positive Pay Fraud mitigation service including Check Positive Pay and ACH Positive Pay, giving businesses control over transactions posted to their accounts with daily verification against check registers.
• Commercial Lending Commercial loan products including Term Equipment Financing, Real Estate Purchases and Refinancing, Lines of Credit, Working Capital Loans, Letters of Credit, and SBA loans for businesses and municipalities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 84 on American Banker's Top 200 Community Banks list for 2021, up from rank 124 in 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2020SBDC provides counseling assistance including business plan development, financing projections, and free training in accounting, QuickBooks, marketing and sales. Partnered with Unified Bank to help small business clients like Olympic Tae Kwon Do Academy.
• Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2020OMEGA's Revolving Loan Fund provides low, fixed interest rate loans with no prepayment penalty to fill gaps between bank participation and borrower cash contribution. Used alongside Unified Bank financing for small business clients.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)coreOthersFDIC provides deposit insurance up to $250,000 per depositor, backing Unified Bank deposits with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.
• Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnified Bank participates in SBA loan programs to provide government-backed financing options for small businesses alongside their conventional lending products.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• First Financial Bancorp: Cincinnati-based community bank holding company serving Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky with consumer, commercial, and wealth banking — a direct comparable to Unified in scale, geographic focus on the Midwest, and product offering.
• LCNB Corp. Ohio-based community bank holding company operating branches in southwest and south-central Ohio — comparable in size, community-bank model, and Ohio market focus to Unified Bank.
• S&T Bancorp, Inc. Pennsylvania-based community bank holding company serving western PA and the broader Appalachian region with consumer and commercial banking — closely comparable to Unified in size, customer base, and regional community-bank model.
• Peoples Bancorp Inc. Ohio-headquartered community bank holding company with branches across Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky — a direct regional peer in footprint, product mix, and small-to-mid commercial banking focus.
• WesBanco, Inc. Multi-state community bank holding company operating across West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — directly overlapping with Unified Bank's Ohio Valley footprint and serving similar consumer, commercial, and mortgage banking needs.
• Community Trust Bancorp, Inc. Kentucky-headquartered community bank holding company operating across Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee — directly comparable in size, branch-led distribution, and community-bank commercial/consumer lending model.
• First Commonwealth Financial Corporation: Pennsylvania-based community bank holding company serving western PA and northern West Virginia with consumer, commercial, and wealth services — comparable in scale and regional community-bank profile to Unified.
• Premier Financial Corp. Ohio-headquartered community bank holding company offering commercial, consumer, and mortgage banking across Ohio, Michigan, and neighboring states — comparable in size, product mix, and community-bank positioning to Unified Bank.
• Park National Corporation: Ohio-based community bank holding company operating a multi-county branch network across Ohio and adjacent states — directly comparable to Unified in branch-led community banking model, customer segments, and Ohio Valley exposure.

Broad incumbents

• United Bancshares, Inc. (UBSH): Multi-state community bank holding company with a broader Mid-Atlantic footprint — larger and more diversified than Unified, but operates in an overlapping consumer and small-business banking space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChTHCgvmZT6Iua58F-REWeg
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoUnifiedBank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unified-bank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Unified Bank