What First Choice Bank does

First Choice Bank is a community bank founded in 1900 (originally as Merchant and Farmers Bank) and headquartered at 19 South Main Street in Pontotoc, Mississippi. It operates as a State Member bank (charter conversion from national bank on June 30, 2015) under Pontotoc BancShares Corp. holding company and serves consumers, small businesses, churches, and nonprofit organizations across Northeast Mississippi through six full-service branches in Pontotoc, Ecru, Houlka, Tupelo, and Southaven, supplemented by Interactive Teller Machines at each location and digital channels including the FCB Mobile app, online banking, and a 24/7 telephone banking service branded First Line Express.

The bank offers a comprehensive suite of community banking products: personal checking, savings, money market, certificates of deposit, and IRAs (including Roth and IRA certificates); commercial checking variants including church and nonprofit-specific accounts; consumer loans (auto, boat, mortgage, construction, home improvement, personal); and commercial/SBA lending. It also operates a wholly-owned insurance subsidiary, First Choice Insurance, with offices in Pontotoc and Water Valley offering personal and commercial lines (property, casualty, life, health, workers' compensation, Medicare Supplement). Third-party partners extend the platform: BancCard for merchant card processing, The Independent BankersBank (TIB) for Visa/MasterCard credit card issuance and servicing, BaZing for merchant discount integration with Perks Checking, and CSI for the digital banking platform. Treasury, ACH, wire transfer, and safe deposit box services round out the offering.

The bank's revenue model is the standard community bank interest-rate spread plus fee model: net interest income from lending and securities, monthly service charges and per-transaction fees on deposit accounts, loan origination fees, and commission income from the insurance subsidiary. Pricing is tiered by account balance with waivers for minimum thresholds (e.g., $5,000 daily balance on Perks Checking, $50,000 combined balance on Interest Commercial Checking). GTM is community-led, with local decision-making, chamber-of-commerce partnerships, and an active Facebook and Instagram presence. The bank holds an FDIC-insured charter, has received continuous five-star ratings, and operates without any disclosed external private equity or venture capital investment.

Name

First Choice Bank

Legal name

First Choice Bank

Website

https://www.firstchoice.bank

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

First Choice Bank offers mobile banking, personal checking, and personal loans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business Banking (Microbusiness/Sole Proprietor) (FSABAAAI), Branch & In-Person Banking (Teller/ATM Networks) (FSABAAAE)

Keywords

• Community banking
• Retail banking services
• Commercial lending
• Mortgage loans
• Small business banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Pontotoc

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Personal Banking Services: Fees and interest income from personal checking accounts, savings accounts, CDs, IRAs, and money market accounts. Revenue generated through monthly service charges, minimum balance fees, per-transaction fees, and interest rate spreads.
2. Commercial Banking Services: Business checking, commercial loans, and money market accounts for commercial customers including churches, small businesses, and nonprofits. Revenue from service charges, transaction fees, and interest income.
3. Lending Operations: Interest income from personal loans (auto, boat, personal, mortgage), commercial loans, SBA loans, real estate loans, and construction loans. Fees for loan origination and processing.
4. Interest on Deposits (Spread Income): Traditional bank interest rate spread revenue where the bank pays lower interest on deposits (e.g., 0.25% APY on regular savings) and earns higher interest on loans, generating net interest income.
5. First Choice Insurance: Commission revenue from insurance products including property and casualty, life, health, employee benefits, bonds, Medicare Supplement, farm owner, mobile home, commercial property, general liability, commercial auto, and worker's compensation insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Choice Bank is a community bank offering personal deposit products (checking, savings, CDs, IRAs), commercial banking services, and a full suite of consumer and commercial loans (mortgage, auto, personal, SBA, construction, home improvement). The bank operates six branches across Northeast Mississippi complemented by digital channels (FCB Mobile app, online banking, telephone banking, and Interactive Teller Machines) and a wholly-owned insurance subsidiary (First Choice Insurance).

Product overview

First Choice Bank is a community bank offering a comprehensive suite of banking products organized into personal banking (checking, savings, CDs/IRAs), business banking (commercial checking, money market accounts), and lending services (consumer, commercial, real estate/mortgage loans). The bank provides digital banking through its FCB Mobile app and online services including First Line Express telephone banking. First Choice Bank operates as a single-unified-community-bank with the core products being deposit accounts, loans, and banking services, complemented by an affiliated insurance subsidiary (First Choice Insurance) offering personal and commercial insurance products. The bank also provides merchant card processing and credit card services through third-party partnerships with BancCard and The Independent BankersBank (TIB).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First Choice Insurance: Locally-owned insurance company offering commercial and personal insurance products including property, casualty, life, health, employee benefits, bonds, and Medicare supplement.

Products and services

• Personal Checking Accounts

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)coreOthersFDIC provides deposit insurance protecting customer deposits up to applicable limits. First Choice Bank is an FDIC-Insured institution backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. FDIC estimator tool linked on website for customer reference.
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationVisa provides the payment network for First Choice Bank's Express Check debit cards. Visa's Zero Liability policy protects cardholders from unauthorized purchases. Cards can be used wherever the Visa logo is displayed.
• The Independent BankersBank (TIB)coreTechnology or IntegrationTIB provides consumer credit cards including Visa and MasterCard with Preferred Points Benefits and Low Rate Benefits options. TIB makes all credit decisions and handles credit card servicing. Available for personal and business accounts.
• Mississippi Bankers' AssociationminorOthersIndustry association membership providing advocacy, resources, and networking for Mississippi banks.
• The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA)minorOthersNational trade association representing community banks, providing advocacy and industry support.
• American Bankers' Association (ABA)minorOthersLeading banking industry association membership for banking professionals.
• Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Choice Bank offers SBA loans to small businesses through SBA programs enabling companies to access funds for establishing, expanding, or improving business operations and employment opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Renasant Bank: Mississippi-headquartered community-oriented bank with multi-state branch network offering consumer deposits, commercial lending, and insurance. Directly comparable in business model (deposit-taking + lending + insurance) and overlapping in Pontotoc County and broader Mississippi markets.
• Cadence Bank: Regional commercial bank with strong Mississippi franchise formed via BancorpSouth and Cadence merger; offers consumer/commercial banking, lending, and treasury services. Comparable in core retail/community banking focus with overlapping Mississippi geography.
• Trustmark National Bank: Mississippi-based commercial bank providing consumer deposits, mortgages, commercial lending, and wealth services. Overlaps with First Choice Bank in core retail/commercial banking and Mississippi geography, though at significantly larger scale.
• BancorpSouth (predecessor brand): Legacy Mississippi community bank (now part of Cadence Bank) that historically competed head-to-head in Pontotoc and surrounding markets with similar consumer/commercial products. Useful as a benchmark for First Choice's competitive landscape.

Direct peers

• The Peoples Bank (Mississippi): Mississippi community bank offering personal and business deposit accounts, consumer and commercial lending, and digital banking. Closely comparable in size, community-banking model, and customer mix to First Choice Bank.
• Community Bank of Mississippi / Community Bank Corp: Mississippi-focused community bank providing checking, savings, lending, and digital services to consumers and small businesses. Highly comparable community-banking model and target customer base.
• Bank of Holly Springs: North Mississippi community bank serving Marshall County and surrounding areas with deposit products, lending, and digital banking. Direct geographic and business-model peer to First Choice Bank's Northeast Mississippi footprint.
• First National Bank of Oxford: Mississippi community bank offering personal and commercial banking products with a comparable branch-based relationship model. Closely comparable in scale and target customer profile.
• Planters Bank & Trust Company (Mississippi): Mississippi community bank with consumer and commercial deposit products, lending, and digital channels. Direct comparable on community-banking model and Mississippi footprint.

Regional players

• VyStar Credit Union: Large credit union with growing Florida/Georgia footprint offering consumer deposits, mortgage, and business banking. Comparable product suite (checking, savings, lending, digital channels) but operates in a different geography; relevant as a benchmark for community/relationship-oriented deposit gathering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/firstchoicebank
• Instagraminstagram.com/firstchoicebank
• Xx.com/fcbpontotoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pontotoc-first-choice-bank

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 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 First Choice Bank