California First National Bank
California First National Bank (CFNB) is a publicly traded, internet-only U.S. national bank headquartered in Irvine, California. Founded in 1977 and operating without physical branches, it delivers online banking services and trades on the OTCQB market under ticker CFNB.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersIrvine, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What California First National Bank does
California First National Bank (CFNB) is a publicly traded, internet-only U.S. national bank headquartered in Irvine, California. Founded in 1977, the bank operates without physical branches and delivers retail banking services exclusively through online channels, distinguishing it from community and regional peers that rely on branch distribution. CFNB trades on the OTCQB market under the ticker symbol CFNB and is supported by a lean operating team of 51–100 employees, a staffing profile consistent with a digitally led, no-branch operating model.
CFNB's core offering is online banking services, accessed directly by customers over the internet rather than through in-person channels. As a nationally chartered bank, it operates within the federal bank regulatory framework, which provides FDIC oversight and the deposit-insurance and consumer-trust benefits that flow to depositors. Its revenue mechanics mirror standard community-bank economics: net interest income from lending activities funded by customer deposits, supplemented by account fees and service charges on banking products. The absence of a branch network positions the institution to operate at a structurally lower cost-to-income ratio than branch-based peers, though this cost advantage is offset by higher customer-acquisition costs typical of direct, online-only deposit gathering.
The input data carries a notable data-integrity caveat: a meaningful share of the supplied source material describes an apparently different entity (Liberty Bank, N.A., a community bank with physical branches in Millbrae, Boulder Creek, and Felton, California), and the supplied financial table (revenue figures in the $30 trillion class) is internally inconsistent with a 51–100 employee institution and should not be relied upon. Leadership disclosure is limited to Patrick E. Paddon as President and CEO. A complete investment picture would require reconciliation of these mismatched sources and access to audited balance-sheet, deposit-base, and net interest margin data not present in the input.
California First National Bank firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- California First National Bank
- Legal name
- Liberty Bank, N.A.
- Website
- https://calfirst.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- California First National Bank (CFNB) is a publicly traded, internet-only U.S. national bank headquartered in Irvine, California. Founded in 1977 and operating without physical branches, it delivers online banking services and trades on the OTCQB market under ticker CFNB.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
California First National Bank industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail Banking
- NAICS
- Commercial Banking (522110)
- SIC
- National Commercial Banks (6021)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Retail Banking (Online & Mobile) (FSABAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Retail-focused Neobanks (Mass Market) (FSABAFAA), Digital Banking & Neobank Platforms (BPAMAFAD)
Keywords
Where California First National Bank is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Irvine
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
California First National Bank business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Core Banking Products: Liberty Bank, N.A. generates revenue through traditional banking product lines including personal and business checking accounts, savings accounts, money market checking accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and lending products (loans). Revenue is derived from interest income on loans, account fees, and service charges typical of a community national bank.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels3 records
California First National Bank product offering
Product offeringCore offering
California First National Bank is an internet-only national bank operating without physical branches, providing online banking services to consumers from its headquarters in Irvine, California. Founded in 1977, the bank delivers retail banking products and services exclusively through digital channels such as its online banking portal and mobile banking applications, rather than through a traditional branch network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use California First National Bank
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
California First National Bank technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
California First National Bank partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
California First National Bank competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Blue Ridge Bank: Blue Ridge Bank is a small, publicly traded community bank operating primarily in select geographies but increasingly using digital and fintech partnerships to scale deposits. Its small-cap public community bank profile and digital-channel emphasis make it a comparable.
- NBKC Bank: NBKC Bank is a small digital-forward community bank in Kansas City that operates with a heavily reduced-branch model and emphasizes online consumer and business banking products. Its branchless philosophy and product mix compete with CFNB for digitally native consumer and SMB customers.
- First Internet Bank: First Internet Bank of Indiana is the closest direct peer — explicitly an internet-only chartered bank founded in 1999 with no branches, sharing CFNB's branchless digital banking business model and FDIC-insured national charter.
- Axos Bank (formerly Bank of Internet): Originally known as Bank of Internet USA, Axos Bank is the publicly traded digital-first national bank whose origin and historical identity as a branchless online bank closely mirrors CFNB's positioning, with a wider product set across consumer and business banking.
Broad incumbents
- Discover Bank: Discover Bank operates as a direct-to-consumer digital bank with no traditional branch network, offering deposit, lending, and card products. As a much larger institution owned by Discover Financial Services, it competes for the same digitally native deposit and consumer-lending customers as CFNB.
- Customers Bank (Customers Bancorp): Customers Bank is a small publicly traded commercial bank with a digitally-led, limited-branch model serving consumer and business customers nationwide. Its comparable scale and digital focus make it a relevant peer for benchmarking CFNB.
- Live Oak Bank: Live Oak Bank is a publicly traded small business-focused bank that operates largely digitally, serving small-business lending and deposit customers. While larger than CFNB, its digitally delivered business-banking model overlaps CFNB's SMB banking positioning.
- Ally Bank: Ally Bank is one of the largest digital-first consumer banks in the U.S., offering deposits, lending, and investing entirely online with no branches. It competes head-to-head with CFNB for online consumer deposit and savings customers nationwide.
- Bancorp Bank (The Bancorp, Inc.): The Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: TBBK) operates Bancorp Bank as a specialty bank emphasizing digital and fintech banking partnerships and commercial lending. Its technology-forward, low-branch model and small-cap public profile make it a comparable small public digital-adjacent bank.
- MetaBank (Meta Financial Group, now Stride Bank): MetaBank / Stride Bank is a digital-first community bank focused on fintech partnerships, prepaid, and specialty lending. Its limited-branch, technology-partnered model offers a useful comparison point for CFNB's branchless digital banking strategy.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights3 records
Customer concentration
California First National Bank social profiles
Digital presenceCalifornia First National Bank financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
California First National Bank leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
California First National Bank funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
California First National Bank 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 California First National Bank
What does California First National Bank do?
California First National Bank is an internet-only national bank operating without physical branches, providing online banking services to consumers from its headquarters in Irvine, California. Founded in 1977, the bank delivers retail banking products and services exclusively through digital channels such as its online banking portal and mobile banking applications, rather than through a traditional branch network.
When was California First National Bank founded?
California First National Bank was founded in 1977. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is California First National Bank based?
California First National Bank is headquartered in Irvine, United States, in the North America region.
How does California First National Bank make money?
One revenue line is on record: core Banking Products.
Who are California First National Bank's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blue Ridge Bank, NBKC Bank, First Internet Bank and Axos Bank (formerly Bank of Internet). Broad incumbents are Discover Bank, Customers Bank (Customers Bancorp), Live Oak Bank, Ally Bank, Bancorp Bank (The Bancorp, Inc.) and MetaBank (Meta Financial Group, now Stride Bank).
Does California First National Bank have an API?
No public API is recorded for California First National Bank.
What industry is California First National Bank in?
California First National Bank's product category is Retail Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAAAF, Digital Retail Banking (Online & Mobile), with a secondary code of FSABAFAA, Retail-focused Neobanks (Mass Market). Its NAICS code is 522110 and its SIC code is 6021.