Citizens Bank of the South
Citizens Bank of the South is a privately-held Georgia community bank operating four branches in Sandersville, Statesboro, and Milledgeville, providing personal and business checking, savings, lending, and digital banking services to individual consumers and local small businesses in Washington, Bulloch, and Baldwin counties.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersSandersville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Citizens Bank of the South does
Citizens Bank of the South (CBOTS) is a privately-held, state-chartered community bank headquartered in Sandersville, Georgia, operating four branch locations across Washington, Bulloch, and Baldwin counties. Founded circa 1970, the bank delivers a full-service community banking platform spanning personal checking (The Simple Way, The Senior Way, The Online Way, The Earnings Way), personal savings (The Savings Way, The Educators Way, The Junior Way), CDs, IRAs, debit/credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Visa Gold, Mastercard Gold), and a lending suite covering consumer, mortgage, commercial, and agricultural loans. Business banking services include Business Checking, Business Savings, Business Loans, ACH origination, wire transfers via FedLine, night depository, cash services, and remote deposit capture.
The technology stack is a conventional community banking platform with a self-enrollment online banking portal (OLB) and the 'The Mobile Way' mobile app (mfoundry-based, per Play Store listing) recently upgraded in April 2025. Digital channels include Zelle for P2P payments, Apple Pay and Google Wallet tokenization, SMS text banking (short code 49794), SecurLOCK card controls, and E-Alerts. The bank is FDIC-insured, PCI DSS compliant, and operates under USA PATRIOT Act Section 326.
The business model is a traditional spread-based community bank generating revenue from net interest income on lending, deposit account fees (e.g., $7 minimum balance fees on Business Checking and Earnings Way if daily balance falls below $1,000 plus $0.20 per debit), wire transfer fees ($20 incoming / $25 outgoing), safe deposit box rentals ($25-$50 annually), and interchange/interest from card services. Distribution is omnichannel: four physical branches with drive-up and Saturday hours, 24-hour online and mobile banking, plus digital wallet integrations. Customer segments are individual consumers and small-to-mid local businesses (including agricultural operations) within a defined Georgia micro-market; the bank employs 11-50 staff and operates with no disclosed parent company, institutional ownership, or M&A activity.
Citizens Bank of the South firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Citizens Bank of the South
- Legal name
- Citizens Bank of the South
- Website
- https://cbots.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Citizens Bank of the South is a privately-held Georgia community bank operating four branches in Sandersville, Statesboro, and Milledgeville, providing personal and business checking, savings, lending, and digital banking services to individual consumers and local small businesses in Washington, Bulloch, and Baldwin counties.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Citizens Bank of the South industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Banking
- NAICS
- Commercial Banking (52211)
- SIC
- State Commercial Banks (6022)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings) (FSABAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Branch & In-Person Banking (Teller/ATM Networks) (FSABAAAE)
Keywords
Where Citizens Bank of the South is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sandersville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Citizens Bank of the South business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Interest Income from Lending: Traditional community bank revenue from interest earned on personal loans (auto, boat, RV, mobile home, construction, personal expenses), mortgage loans, business loans (real estate, equipment, working capital), and agricultural loans. Offers fixed rate mortgages, 100% financing options, and construction-to-permanent loans.
- Deposit Account Fees: Fee income from minimum balance requirements on checking and savings accounts. For example, Business Checking charges $7 minimum balance fee if daily balance falls below $1,000 plus $0.20 per debit. Personal Earnings Way charges $7 minimum balance fee and $0.20 per debit if balance drops below $1,000.
- Certificate of Deposit and IRA Products: Investment products including CDs with terms from 3 to 60 months and Individual Retirement Accounts (Traditional, Roth, Educational IRAs, SEP IRAs) generating interest expense offset against interest income.
- Credit Card Services: Credit card products including Visa, Visa Gold, Mastercard, and Mastercard Gold offerings for personal and business customers with associated interchange fees and interest income.
- Electronic Banking Services: Fees for ACH origination, wire transfers (Domestic Wire Fee: Incoming $20.00 / Outgoing $25.00), automatic transfer/sweep accounts, and remote deposit services.
- Safe Deposit Boxes: Annual rental fees for safe deposit boxes in three sizes: Small $25.00, Medium $35.00, Large $50.00.
- Bank-Official Money Orders: Proceeds from sale of bank official money orders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | The Simple Way - Basic personal checking with flat monthly fee |
| Subscription | Monthly | The Senior Way - Personal checking for customers 50+ |
| Subscription | Monthly | The Online Way - E-statements only checking |
| Subscription | Monthly | The Earnings Way - Interest-bearing checking |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Checking |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Savings |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Certificate of Deposit |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | IRA Accounts |
| Subscription | Annual | Safe Deposit Boxes |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Wire Transfers |
| Subscription | Monthly | Personal Savings - The Educators Way |
| Subscription | Monthly | Personal Savings - The Savings Way |
| Subscription | Monthly | Personal Savings - The Junior Way |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
Citizens Bank of the South product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Citizens Bank of the South is a community bank that accepts consumer and business deposits and originates personal, mortgage, and commercial loans through its branch network in Sandersville and surrounding Georgia communities. It complements in-branch service with online and mobile banking channels for routine account access, bill payment, funds transfer, and person-to-person payments. [Inferred from limited source material; no verbatim source ID was available for this description.] The bank's fundamental product is relationship-based community banking anchored on deposit gathering and loan origination.
Product overview
Citizens Bank of the South offers a comprehensive community banking platform with personal and business checking/savings accounts, lending products, and electronic banking services. The product portfolio centers on core deposit accounts (The Simple Way, The Senior Way, The Online Way, The Earnings Way for personal checking; The Educators Way, The Savings Way, The Junior Way for savings) complemented by CDs and IRAs. Digital banking is delivered through Online Banking (OLB) and Mobile Banking (The Mobile Way) with integrated services including Zelle® for P2P payments, Apple Pay and Google Wallet for contactless payments, SMS Text Banking, Remote Deposit, and SecurLOCK for card controls. Business banking includes Business Checking, Business Savings, Business Credit Cards, Business Loans, and Electronic Funds Transfers (ACH/wire). Lending products span Mortgages, Personal Loans, and Business Loans. Additional services include Night Depository, Cash Services, Safe Deposit Boxes, and eStatement Delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Mobile Way: Mobile banking app for iOS and Android devices, providing account access, bill pay, money transfers, and mobile deposits.
Companies that use Citizens Bank of the South
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Citizens Bank of the South technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature7 records
Citizens Bank of the South partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FedLinecoreFedLine is used for domestic wire transfers, allowing Citizens Bank to send and receive wired funds via the Federal Reserve system.
- ACH NetworkcoreACH origination services for commercial customers enabling direct deposit of payroll and automatic debits such as insurance premiums.
- Early Warning Services (Zelle)coreEarly Warning Services provides Zelle peer-to-peer payment infrastructure. Zelle is a fast, safe, easy way to send money directly between almost any bank account in the U.S.
- ApplecoreCitizens Bank offers Apple Pay integration for contactless payments using CBOTS debit and credit cards on Apple devices.
- GooglecoreCitizens Bank offers Google Wallet integration for contactless payments using CBOTS debit and credit cards on Android devices.
- VisacoreVisa credit card products including Visa and Visa Gold with travel accident insurance, travel discounts, emergency cash, and auto rental insurance.
- MastercardcoreMastercard credit card products including Mastercard and Mastercard Gold with MasterTrip, MasterPurchase, MasterAssist/Medical, MasterRental, and emergency services.
- Avis, Hertz, National (Car Rental)minorTravel discount partnerships providing special savings on auto rental rates for CBOTS credit card holders.
- IRS (Tax Payments)minorTT&L (Taxes, Tips, and Liens) payment services allowing business customers to make tax payments to the IRS through CBOTS cash management program.
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)coreFDIC insurance coverage for depositor protection. Citizens Bank is a federally insured financial institution required to maintain vigorous information security programs.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Citizens Bank of the South competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Exchange Bank: Community bank headquartered in Milledgeville, Georgia — directly overlapping with one of CBOTS's branch locations. Comparable community banking model serving similar small-business and consumer customers in central Georgia with personal service and local decision-making.
- Farmers and Merchants Bank: Community bank based in Statesboro, Georgia — directly competing in the same Bulloch County market as CBOTS's Statesboro branch. Similar small-business and consumer deposit/lending focus with comparable community banking model and product set.
- Queensborough National Bank and Trust Company: Community bank serving central and east Georgia with a similar mix of personal and business banking products. Comparable in size and customer profile to CBOTS, with overlapping geographic markets in rural Georgia.
- Pineland State Bank: Small community bank headquartered in Metter, Georgia (Candler County) with similar personal and business banking services to CBOTS. Comparable size, product mix, and rural Georgia community banking orientation.
- Durden Banking Group: Family-owned community bank based in Swainsboro, Georgia, serving Emanuel and surrounding counties. Comparable rural Georgia community banking model with similar deposit, loan, and digital product offerings.
- Altamaha Bank and Trust Company: Independent community bank headquartered in Vidalia, Georgia, serving Toombs and adjacent counties. Similar product suite, comparable rural Georgia footprint, and direct overlap in target small-business and consumer segments.
Broad incumbents
- United Community Banks: Large regional bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia, with branches throughout the Southeast including rural Georgia markets overlapping with CBOTS's footprint. Broader geographic reach, deeper product suite, and significantly larger scale create indirect competitive pressure.
- Synovus Financial: Major regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, with extensive Georgia branch coverage. Overlaps with CBOTS's consumer and business banking markets but operates at materially greater scale with a broader corporate and commercial product set.
- Colony Bankcorp: Georgia-based community bank holding company serving south and middle Georgia markets with comparable consumer and small-business banking services. Larger than CBOTS but operating with a similar community banking orientation in overlapping rural Georgia geographies.
Emerging players
- Robins Financial Credit Union: Georgia-based credit union serving Middle Georgia including the Warner Robins/Milledgeville area, with consumer deposit, loan, and digital banking products that directly compete with CBOTS for personal-banking customers in overlapping central Georgia markets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Citizens Bank of the South compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Citizens Bank of the South financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Citizens Bank of the South leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Citizens Bank of the South funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Citizens Bank of the South M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Citizens Bank of the South
What does Citizens Bank of the South do?
Citizens Bank of the South is a community bank that accepts consumer and business deposits and originates personal, mortgage, and commercial loans through its branch network in Sandersville and surrounding Georgia communities. It complements in-branch service with online and mobile banking channels for routine account access, bill payment, funds transfer, and person-to-person payments. [Inferred from limited source material; no verbatim source ID was available for this description.] The bank's fundamental product is relationship-based community banking anchored on deposit gathering and loan origination.
Is Citizens Bank of the South a public or private company?
Citizens Bank of the South is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Citizens Bank of the South founded?
Citizens Bank of the South was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Citizens Bank of the South based?
Citizens Bank of the South is headquartered in Sandersville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Citizens Bank of the South make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Interest Income from Lending is the primary driver. The others are deposit Account Fees, certificate of Deposit and IRA Products, credit Card Services, electronic Banking Services, safe Deposit Boxes and bank-Official Money Orders.
Who are Citizens Bank of the South's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Exchange Bank, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Queensborough National Bank and Trust Company, Pineland State Bank, Durden Banking Group and Altamaha Bank and Trust Company. Broad incumbents are United Community Banks, Synovus Financial and Colony Bankcorp. Robins Financial Credit Union is listed as an emerging player.
Does Citizens Bank of the South have an API?
No public API is recorded for Citizens Bank of the South.
What industry is Citizens Bank of the South in?
Citizens Bank of the South's product category is Community Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAAAA, Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings), with a secondary code of FSABAAAE, Branch & In-Person Banking (Teller/ATM Networks). Its NAICS code is 52211 and its SIC code is 6022.