First Northern Bank and Trust

What First Northern Bank and Trust does

First Northern Bank and Trust Co. is an FDIC-insured, privately held community bank founded in 1907 and headquartered in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, with a secondary operational address in Gilbert, PA. The bank operates 11 branch locations across the region equipped with drive-up windows and 24-hour ATMs, and serves both personal and business customers through a diversified product catalog. Personal offerings span ten checking tiers (Foundation, Student, Senior, Military, Royal Blue, Royal, Money Market, NOW, Regular, and Checkless), five savings products (Statement, Money Market, Paperless, Royal Savings, Kid's Statement Savings, plus Club Accounts), consumer loans, mortgage loans including VA and first-time homebuyer programs, and CDs/IRAs. Business offerings include Business Basic, Plus, Analyzed, and NOW Checking, Business Money Market Checking and Savings, business loans and lines of credit, commercial mortgages, Online Cash Management with ACH and wires, Letters of Credit, and ReSubmitIt Electronic Check Recovery. The MasterMoney Debit Card (Mastercard-branded) serves as the primary card product for both segments.

The bank's technology stack is a hybrid delivery model: a digital banking platform (web and native iOS/Android apps) supporting account management, bill pay, mobile deposit, and bank-to-bank transfers; a voice-recognition-enabled Express Banking phone channel operated via a 1-888 number; small business and scanner-based remote deposit capture; and an online loan payment portal for personal and commercial loans. Customer-facing security and education content is served through a dedicated Security Center covering fraud, identity theft, and business email compromise awareness. Partnerships are limited to operational integrations: Mastercard for debit rails, Apple and Google for app distribution, ReSubmitIt for electronic check recovery, and a third-party check printing service for reorders. No developer-facing API or SDK is publicly documented.

The revenue model is typical of community banking: net interest income from loans (consumer, mortgage, home equity, commercial, commercial real estate) and deposits (CDs, IRAs, savings, money market) is supplemented by transaction and service fees. Fee schedules are publicly disclosed and include monthly service charges on checking accounts (with waivers at defined balance thresholds), tiered overdraft fees ($15-$35 across three amount tiers), per-item fees on business analyzed checking, ACH/wire transfer charges, debit card fees (1% international assessment, $5 replacement), and Treasury check, money order, and safe deposit box fees. Distribution is a relationship-led, sales/community banking model emphasizing 11 physical touchpoints, local decision-making authority, and personalized service as differentiators over national competitors. The bank serves a horizontally segmented customer base spanning individual, student, senior, military, premium/wealth, small business, non-profit, and sole proprietor segments, with no customer concentration by industry and pricing publicly disclosed across consumer loan, mortgage, CD, and business checking products.

Name

First Northern Bank and Trust

Legal name

First Northern Bank and Trust Co.

Website

https://1stnorthern.bank

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

First Northern Bank and Trust is a privately held, FDIC-insured community bank founded in 1907 and headquartered in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. It operates 11 branches plus digital and phone channels, offering personal and business deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, and CDs/IRAs to retail and SMB customers across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Palmerton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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 revenue through interest earned on loans including consumer loans, mortgages, home equity loans, business loans, commercial mortgages, and CDs/IRAs. Interest rates vary by product type and term.
2. Deposit Account Fees: Monthly service charges, dormant account fees, overdraft/NSF fees, excessive transaction fees, early account closure fees, and dormant savings account charges.
3. Transaction Fees: Fees for Treasurer's Checks ($10), Money Orders ($5), Counter Checks ($4), wire transfers, stop payments, safe deposit boxes, and other transaction services.
4. Card Services: MasterMoney debit card fees including international assessment (1% of transaction) and replacement card fees ($5).
5. Business Services: Fees for Online Cash Management, ACH processing, collection items, returned deposit items, and business account services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Northern Bank and Trust is an FDIC-insured community bank that provides personal and business banking products, including checking and savings accounts, consumer and commercial loans, mortgages, CDs/IRAs, and debit cards. Services are distributed through 11 Pennsylvania branch locations, an online and mobile banking platform, a voice-enabled phone banking system, and business cash management tools. The bank earns revenue primarily from interest income on loans and deposit-related fees.

Product overview

First Northern Bank and Trust is a family-owned, independent community bank founded in 1907 offering a comprehensive suite of banking products and services. The bank operates a multi-channel banking platform consisting of Online and Mobile Banking as the primary digital channel, alongside traditional branch banking with 11 locations. The product portfolio spans personal and business segments: personal banking includes multiple checking account tiers (Foundation, Student, Senior, Military, Royal, Royal Blue, Money Market, NOW, Regular, Checkless), savings options (Statement, Money Market, Paperless, Royal Savings, Kid's Statement Savings, Student Savings, Club Accounts), lending products (Consumer Loans, Mortgage Loans, Home Equity), and CDs/IRAs. Business banking encompasses Business Basic, Plus, Analyzed, and NOW Checking accounts, Business Statement and Money Market Savings, Business Loans, Commercial Mortgages, Online Cash Management, Letters of Credit, and ReSubmitIt Electronic Check Recovery. The bank also provides digital tools including over 30 Financial Calculators, a Loan Payment Portal, and Express Banking phone service. The MasterMoney Debit Card serves as the primary card product across both personal and business segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MasterMoney Debit Card: A debit card product offered by the bank for personal and business accounts.
• Express Banking
• ReSubmitIt Electronic Check Recovery
• Bounce Protection

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mastercard (MasterMoney)coreTechnology or IntegrationMastercard provides the MasterMoney debit card infrastructure for both personal and business debit cards. This is a core banking service integration enabling card transactions, ATM access, and point-of-sale purchases.
• Apple (iOS App Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership for the First Northern Bank and Trust mobile app through the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad devices.
• Google (Android App Distribution)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership for the First Northern Bank and Trust mobile app through Google Play Store for Android devices.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley: Lehigh Valley, PA-based community bank offering personal and business checking, savings, mortgages, and commercial lending to a similar regional customer base with comparable relationship-based positioning.
• ESSA Bank & Trust: Pennsylvania community bank with consumer and business checking, savings, mortgages, and digital banking. Similar mutual/community-oriented banking model with overlapping PA footprint.
• PS Bank: PS Bank is a Pennsylvania community bank offering consumer and business banking products with a comparable branch-and-digital distribution model. Direct peer in scale and regional focus.
• Citizens & Northern Bank: Pennsylvania community bank providing personal banking, mortgages, business lending, and wealth services across northern-tier PA counties. Comparable in operating model and target market to First Northern.
• Peoples Security Bank & Trust: Pennsylvania-based community bank offering personal checking, savings, mortgages, business banking, and treasury management across multiple PA branches — comparable mid-sized community banking model.
• First Keystone Community Bank: Pennsylvania community bank headquartered in Berwick serving individuals and small businesses with deposit accounts, consumer and commercial loans, and digital banking — direct overlap in geography, scale, and product set.
• Jim Thorpe Neighborhood Bank: Small Pennsylvania community bank in the Carbon County region near Palmerton, offering consumer and small-business banking products. Direct geographic and scale comparable.
• FNCB Bank: Northeastern Pennsylvania community bank of similar size serving individuals and businesses with deposit, lending, and digital banking products. Closely comparable footprint and product mix to First Northern.

Broad incumbents

• Tompkins Community Bank (formerly VIST Bank): Larger regional community bank with substantial Pennsylvania presence following its acquisition of VIST Bank. Offers a broader product portfolio (wealth, insurance, treasury) but operates in overlapping geographies and customer segments.
• Northwest Bank: Mid-sized regional bank with Pennsylvania branches and a broad retail/business banking, mortgage, and wealth management portfolio. Larger and more diversified but competes in the same PA consumer and small-business segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1stnorthernbank

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 First Northern Bank and Trust