American Community Bank & Trust

What American Community Bank & Trust does

American Community Bank & Trust (ACBT) is a privately held independent community bank founded in 2000 and headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois. The bank operates four branches across Northeast Illinois — Woodstock (headquarters), Huntley, Crystal Lake, and McHenry — and primarily serves privately held businesses, investors, and their families in the McHenry County / Chicagoland region. It is an affiliate of bank holding company American Community Financial, Inc., is FDIC-insured, and is designated as an Equal Housing Lender under federal regulations. The institution employs between 101-250 people and is led by co-founders Andy Hartlieb (CEO) and Rick Francois (President), with experienced EVPs overseeing commercial banking, finance, compliance, and operations.

The bank's product portfolio is anchored by commercial banking (deposit accounts, credit cards, merchant card processing, and debit cards), treasury management (positive pay, ACH processing, wire transfers, remote deposit, and lockbox), and commercial loan solutions (business term loans, commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans, and revolving lines of credit). Personal banking includes checking, savings, CDs, money market accounts, Zelle payments, credit and debit cards, financial advisory, and retirement services. The underlying technology platform centers on a Digital Banking Solution launched in 2025 that consolidates personal, business, and commercial banking under a single login with biometric authentication, mobile deposit, and real-time card management. The mobile app is powered by Fiserv, card issuance is handled through Elan Financial Services under Visa and Mastercard licenses, and the bank integrates with Zelle, QuickBooks, and Quicken for payments and accounting workflows.

ACBT's business model follows traditional community bank economics: net interest income from commercial and consumer loan portfolios (commercial real estate, construction, term loans, revolving credit) is the primary revenue driver, supplemented by fee-based income from deposit accounts, treasury management services, credit card interchange through Elan, and wealth management advisory. Its go-to-market is explicitly relationship-led, emphasizing local decision-making authority, direct access to commercial bankers, and active involvement in 30+ local non-profit organizations and civic boards. Customer acquisition is primarily referral-driven through community networks rather than mass-market advertising, and pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Name

American Community Bank & Trust

Legal name

American Community Bank & Trust

Website

https://amcombank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

American Community Bank & Trust is a privately held community bank founded in 2000 serving privately held businesses, investors, and families across Northeast Illinois through four branches with commercial banking, treasury management, lending, and wealth services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodstock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 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: Interest earned on loans including commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans, business term loans, and revolving lines of credit. Primary revenue driver for traditional community bank.
2. Deposit Account Fees: Fees from commercial and personal deposit accounts including checking, savings, money market accounts, and CDs.
3. Treasury Management Services: Revenue from cash flow solutions including ACH processing, wire transfers, merchant card processing, and lockbox services.
4. Credit Card Income: Income from business and personal credit cards issued through Elan Financial Services partnership.
5. Wealth Management: Financial advisory and retirement solutions for personal and business clients.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

American Community Bank & Trust is a privately held, independent community bank operating in Northeast Illinois that provides commercial banking, treasury management, commercial lending, and personal banking services to privately held businesses, investors, and families. Revenue is generated primarily through interest income on commercial real estate, construction, business term loans and revolving lines of credit, plus deposit account fees, treasury management service fees, credit card income, and wealth/retirement advisory revenue.

Product overview

American Community Bank & Trust operates as a unified digital-first banking platform built around its Digital Banking Solution that consolidates online and mobile banking for all customer segments. The core product portfolio is organized into Commercial Banking (deposit accounts, credit cards, merchant processing, and debit cards), Treasury Management Solutions (Positive Pay, ACH, wire transfers, remote deposit, lockbox), and Commercial Loan Solutions (term loans, real estate loans, construction loans, revolving credit). Personal Banking encompasses checking/savings accounts, credit/debit cards, Zelle payments, financial advisory, and retirement services. The bank also offers specialized products including Card Valet for card management, Fraud Control & Protection services, and Health Savings Accounts. The Mobile Banking App, powered by Fiserv, provides unified access across all banking services with biometric authentication and real-time account controls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Banking Solution Unified digital banking platform consolidating online and mobile banking for personal, business, and commercial banking customers under a single login, with mobile deposit, biometric authentication, real-time transaction reporting, and Zelle payments.
• Commercial Banking Banking services tailored for privately held businesses and their families, including commercial deposit accounts, business credit cards, merchant services, fraud protection, and debit cards.
• Treasury Management Solutions Cash flow management services including Positive Pay, ACH processing, wire transfers, remote deposit, and lockbox services for business banking clients.
• Commercial Loan Solutions Business financing options including business term loans, commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans, and revolving lines of credit.
• Business Credit Cards Business credit cards with low rate, cash back, or flexible rewards options, featuring free online expense reporting, employee cards at no additional fee, and zero fraud liability.
• Merchant Card Processing Payment processing services enabling businesses to accept card transactions from customers.
• Personal Banking Consumer banking services including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs, debit and credit cards, personal loans, Zelle payments, safe deposit boxes, financial advisory, and retirement planning for individuals and families.
• Health Savings Accounts Tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with high-deductible health plans, available to both personal and commercial banking customers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FiservcoreTechnology or IntegrationFiserv provides the technology platform for ACBT Mobile Banking app. The app, powered by Fiserv, enables card management functionality including turning cards on/off, transaction controls, merchant category limits, geographic restrictions, fraud alerts, and real-time balance viewing.
• Elan Financial ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationElan Financial Services is the creditor and issuer of ACBT business and personal credit cards, pursuant to separate licenses from Visa and Mastercard. Elan provides zero fraud liability protection and 24/7 cardmember service for cardholders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wintrust Financial Corporation: Chicago-area community banking network operating multiple community and specialty bank charters across the metro, with relationship-based lending to privately held businesses and a comparable treasury management and wealth offering. Directly comparable on geography, customer segment, and business model.
• Byline Bancorp: Chicago-focused community bank holding company serving small and mid-sized businesses with commercial banking, treasury management, and lending — highly comparable to ACBT on geography, customer base, and SMB relationship model.
• First Mid Bancshares: Illinois-based community bank holding company (formed via Busey Bank merger) serving businesses and consumers across Illinois with commercial lending and treasury services. Comparable on Illinois geographic footprint and community banking model.
• First Bank Chicago: Independently operated Chicago-area community bank focused on commercial banking and SMB lending in the metropolitan market. Directly comparable on customer segment, geography, and relationship-led commercial banking model.
• Bridgeview Bank Group: Chicago-area community bank holding company serving small businesses and consumers with commercial lending, deposits, and treasury services. Comparable on geographic market and SMB-focused relationship model.
• Standard Bank & Trust: Independently held Chicago-area community bank serving businesses and consumers with commercial loans, deposits, and digital banking. Directly comparable on suburban Chicago footprint and community banking orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Old National Bank: Large Midwest regional bank with significant Chicagoland presence following the First Midwest acquisition, offering community-oriented commercial and consumer banking. Competes with ACBT across deposit gathering, CRE lending, and SMB services but at substantially greater scale.
• BMO Harris Bank: Major US subsidiary of BMO Financial Group with a deep Chicago and Midwest branch footprint offering commercial, treasury, and consumer banking. Competes with ACBT for commercial deposits and SMB relationships in the Chicago metro but at materially larger scale.
• JPMorgan Chase: Largest US bank with an extensive Chicago-area branch network, rapidly expanding digital SMB banking and embedded treasury tools. Competes with ACBT for consumer deposits and small business relationships across the Chicago metro despite operating at vastly greater scale.

Regional players

• First Merchants Bank: Indianapolis-headquartered Midwest community bank holding company serving businesses and consumers across multiple Midwestern states with commercial banking and treasury services. Comparable on community banking orientation and Midwestern geography, though operating in a different footprint than ACBT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 American Community Bank & Trust