Citizens 1st Bank

What Citizens 1st Bank does

Citizens 1st Bank is a privately held, state-chartered community bank headquartered in Tyler, Texas, operating four branch locations across East Texas (Tyler, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Jacksonville) with 11 to 50 employees. The bank was chartered in Rusk on April 6, 1920, and has been continuously operated by the Perkins family across three generations, with only three presidents in its 100+ year history. It serves individual consumers and small-to-mid-sized businesses with a full suite of traditional banking products, including checking, savings, money market, CDs, IRAs, mortgages, consumer loans, and business loans, complemented by merchant processing and remote deposit capture services.

The bank's technology stack consists of standard community banking infrastructure: a web-based online banking platform, a mobile banking application supporting mobile deposit, and the CardHub Solution card management platform that enables cardholders to toggle cards on/off, configure spending controls by merchant or location, view transactions, and add cards to Apple Pay and Google Pay digital wallets. There is no disclosed API platform, no proprietary AI/ML capability, and no research or technology differentiation beyond feature parity with mainstream digital banking expectations. The infrastructure is delivered through separate product pages and traditional banking channels rather than a unified digital platform.

Citizens 1st Bank generates revenue through net interest income on its $768M loan and securities portfolio (commercial real estate, commercial, consumer, mortgage, and SBA 7A/504 lending) and through transactional and recurring fees across deposit accounts, safe deposit boxes, merchant processing, and insurance products bundled with the BanClub Checking account. Pricing is structured by account tier with minimum balance requirements and monthly maintenance fees. As of December 31, 2024, the bank reported $768,074,341 in total assets and $123,273,722 in total capital, and has maintained a Bauer Financial 5-star rating for more than 143 consecutive quarters, positioning it among the highest-rated community banks in the United States.

Name

Citizens 1st Bank

Legal name

Citizens 1st Bank

Website

https://citizens1stbank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens 1st Bank is a privately held Texas community bank, chartered in 1920, operating four East Texas branches serving retail and small-business customers with deposits, consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, merchant processing, and digital banking services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221), Savings Institutions and Other Depository Credit Intermediation (522180)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

SME Deposits & Business Accounts (Operating, Savings, CDs) (FSABABAC), Small Business Banking (Microbusiness/Sole Proprietor) (FSABAAAI)

Keywords

• Community banking
• Retail banking services
• Commercial lending
• Consumer deposits
• Small business banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Tyler

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: Traditional bank revenue from interest on loans including commercial real estate, commercial loans, consumer loans, mortgages, home equity, and small business loans including SBA 7A and 504 loans.
2. Business Checking Fees: Monthly account maintenance fees, per-item transaction fees, and minimum balance requirements for Business Checking accounts (Business Checking $99 minimum, Deluxe Business Checking $2,000 minimum, Premium Business Checking $3,500 minimum, Small Business Checking no minimum).
3. Personal Checking Fees: Monthly maintenance fees and transaction-based fees for personal checking accounts including BanClub Checking ($99 minimum, $8-10 monthly fee depending on insurance level), Free Checking ($99 minimum, no monthly fee), Regular Checking ($475 minimum, $8/month if below), NOW Account ($1,500 minimum, $10/month if below), Super NOW Account ($2,500 minimum, $15/month if below).
4. Savings & Money Market Fees: Monthly maintenance fees ($5 for savings if balance below $200, $15 for money market if below $2,500) and excessive transaction fees ($1 per excessive withdrawal for savings, $5 for money market).
5. Safe Deposit Box Rental: Annual rental fees for safe deposit boxes available at Tyler, Nacogdoches, and Rusk locations, with $5 discount for auto-debit from Citizens 1st Bank account.
6. Merchant Processing: Fees for processing credit and debit card payments through major card networks. Services include electronic processing (terminal), mobile device processing (flat rate with free reader), internet processing, and touchtone processing. Terminal equipment available for purchase or lease.
7. Certificate of Deposit Interest: CDs offered with maturities of 30 day, 91 day, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 months. Jumbo CDs also available.
8. Insurance Products: Insurance products sold through BanClub Checking including Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Payment Card Protection, and Key Ring Protection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Citizens 1st Bank is a community bank chartered in 1920 in Rusk, Texas, providing personal and business banking services through four East Texas branches and digital channels. Its offering spans deposit products (checking, savings, money market, CDs, IRAs), consumer and mortgage loans, business/commercial loans (including SBA 7A and 504), merchant card processing, remote deposit capture, and digital banking (online, mobile, and CardHub card management).

Product overview

Citizens 1st Bank offers a comprehensive traditional banking platform with distinct personal and business product lines. Personal banking centers on checking accounts (Banclub Checking, Free Checking, Regular Checking, NOW Account, Super NOW Account), savings and money market products, CDs and IRAs, mortgages, consumer loans, and digital banking services (Online Banking, Mobile Banking). The Card Hub Solution provides digital card management with on/off controls, spending limits, and fraud alerts. Business banking encompasses specialized checking accounts, commercial lending including SBA loans, Business Online Banking, Merchant Processing, and Remote Deposit Capture. The bank operates physical branches in Tyler, Nacogdoches, Rusk, and Jacksonville, Texas, complemented by digital self-service channels. No unified digital platform or API integrations are offered—services are delivered through separate product pages and traditional banking infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BanClub Checking: Premium checking account product with benefits including personalized checks, unlimited checking, cashier's checks, safe deposit box discount, and various insurance and protection services.
• CardHub Solution

Products and services

• CardHub Solution Digital card management platform for debit/credit cardholders that allows turning cards on/off, setting spending controls by location, merchant type, spend limit, and transaction type, viewing transactions and balances, managing recurring payments, accessing spend analytics, adding cards to Apple Pay/Google Pay digital wallets, viewing digital card information, managing travel plans, and receiving fraud alerts.
• Mobile Banking Mobile banking application available on Google Play and Apple App Store that provides 24/7 account access, online inquiries, funds transfers, bill payment, and mobile deposit functionality for Citizens 1st Bank customers.
• Online Banking Web-based online banking platform that allows customers to perform express transfers, schedule future transfers, search transactions, review accounts, generate spending reports, and manage their bank accounts online 24/7.
• Personal Checking Accounts Personal checking account products including BanClub Checking ($99 minimum, $8-10 monthly fee plus insurance benefits), Free Checking ($99 minimum, no monthly fee, first 40 checks free), Regular Checking ($475 minimum, $8/month fee if below), NOW Account ($1,500 minimum, $10/month if below), and Super NOW Account ($2,500 minimum, $15/month if below), with overdraft privilege eligibility on most tiers.
• Money Market & Savings Accounts Savings account with $200 minimum to open and a $5 monthly maintenance fee if balance falls below $200, and Money Market Account with $2,500 minimum to open and a $15 monthly maintenance fee if balance falls below $2,500. Both have transaction limits, including per-excess-withdrawal fees ($1 for savings over 9 per quarter, $5 for money market over 3 per statement cycle) and a 6-transfer-per-month limit on savings.
• Certificates of Deposit (CDs) & IRAs Certificate of Deposit (CD) products with maturities ranging from 30 days to 60 months (including 91 day, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 month terms), including Jumbo CDs; plus Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) including Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Educational IRA, and SEP IRA for retirement and education savings.
• Loans & Mortgages Mortgage and consumer lending products for individuals, including home purchase and refinance mortgages, construction loans, home equity loans, rural home loans, plus consumer loans for autos, boats, RVs, and tractors at competitive fixed and adjustable rates.
• Safe Deposit Boxes Safe deposit box rental service for secure storage of documents, valuables, and heirlooms, available at the Tyler, Nacogdoches, and Rusk branch locations. Pricing varies by box size, with a $5 annual discount if rental is auto-debited from a Citizens 1st Bank account. Contents are not FDIC insured.
• Business Banking Comprehensive business banking solution bundling business checking accounts, business loans (commercial real estate, SBA 7A and 504, working capital, equipment financing), business online banking, merchant processing, and remote deposit capture services for small and mid-sized businesses in East Texas.
• Business Checking Accounts Tiered business checking account products: Business Checking ($99 minimum opening, fees subject to account analysis), Deluxe Business Checking ($2,000 minimum, $10 monthly fee if below, 150 free items, $0.25/item over), Premium Business Checking ($3,500 minimum, $15 monthly fee if below, with per-item charges above thresholds), and Small Business Checking (no minimum, $15 monthly fee).
• Business Loans Business lending solutions including commercial real estate loans (purchase, refinance, improvement), investment rental property loans, working capital loans, equipment, inventory, and accounts receivable financing, business lines of credit, and Small Business Administration (SBA) 7A and 504 loans, underwritten locally by experienced loan officers.
• Business Online Banking Business-focused online banking platform providing transfer tools, enhanced reporting, transaction categorization, extended transaction history and statements, and electronic statements (e-Statements) for business customers.
• Merchant Processing Services Credit and debit card payment processing services for businesses via major card networks, with automatic deposit of funds into Citizens 1st Bank accounts. Supports electronic terminal processing, mobile device processing (flat rate with free reader), internet processing, and touchtone processing. Terminal equipment is available for purchase or lease, with merchant support M-F 8AM-7PM CST and 24/7 technical support.
• Remote Deposit Capture Remote deposit capture service that allows business customers to scan checks from their office and electronically submit them for posting to their Citizens 1st Bank accounts, reducing bank trips and providing quick access to check images.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bauer 5-star rating maintained for over 143 consecutive quarters
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Deluxe (Business Check Ordering)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party provider for business check ordering. Citizens 1st Bank provides referral links to Deluxe for customer check ordering needs.
• Deluxe (Consumer Check Ordering)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party provider for consumer check ordering. Citizens 1st Bank provides referral links to Deluxe OrderPoint for customer check ordering needs.
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCitizens 1st Bank directs customers to FTC Privacy & Identity page for consumer education on privacy and online security topics.
• Major Credit Card NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationMerchant processing services enable businesses to accept credit and debit card payments through major credit card networks with automatic deposits to Citizens 1st Bank accounts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• VeraBank: Texas community bank headquartered in Henderson, TX, with branches across East Texas. Direct competitor to Citizens 1st Bank in the same geographic footprint with similar asset size and community-banking model.
• Austin Bank: Texas community bank with deep East Texas presence offering personal and business banking, lending, and digital services. Directly comparable in size, model, and regional footprint to Citizens 1st Bank.
• Independent Bank Group: Texas-based community bank holding company operating branches across North and Central Texas. Comparable in product mix (SBA loans, commercial real estate, small business banking) and target SMB/consumer segments, though at meaningfully larger scale.
• Texas First State Bank: Texas community bank with multiple East Texas branches offering personal and business banking, mortgage, and digital services. Closely matches Citizens 1st Bank in product offering and target market.
• Citizens National Bank: Texas community bank offering checking, savings, lending, and digital banking to consumers and small businesses. Comparable in size, model, and conservative community-banking positioning to Citizens 1st Bank.
• Ciera Bank: Texas community bank with a focus on relationship banking, commercial lending, and SBA loans. Highly comparable in product mix, asset size range, and small-town Texas market strategy.

Regional players

• Southside Bancshares: Holding company for Southside Bank, headquartered in Tyler, TX — the same headquarters city as Citizens 1st Bank. Directly overlaps in geographic market but operates at materially larger scale ($15B+ assets).
• Origin Bancorp: Holding company for Origin Bank, a regional bank with Texas and Louisiana presence offering community-style commercial and consumer banking. Comparable business model and SMB focus, though serving adjacent rather than overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Cadence Bank: Regional bank with significant Texas and Gulf Coast presence, offering commercial, consumer, and treasury banking. Provides similar SMB and consumer products but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Texas Capital Bancshares: Texas-headquartered commercial bank with a strong middle-market and business banking franchise. Overlaps with Citizens 1st Bank in commercial and SBA lending but operates at a substantially larger scale and broader Texas footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Citizens 1st Bank