Heartland Bank

What Heartland Bank does

Heartland Bank is a regional community bank operating as a division of German American Bank (and indirectly German American Bancorp) following a February 1, 2025 acquisition. The bank was originally founded in 1911 as Croton Bank in Croton, Ohio, and was renamed Heartland Bank in 1988 by Tiney M. McComb. Heartland serves individual consumers, small-to-mid-size businesses, agricultural operations, and high-net-worth individuals across Ohio and Kentucky through 20+ physical banking offices, a mobile banking application with mobile check deposit, online and business banking platforms, and access to 55,000+ surcharge-free ATMs via the Allpoint network. FDIC-insured and SBA-preferred, the bank operates under the Heartland Bank, a division of German American Bank brand.

Heartland's product portfolio spans personal banking ($MART Checking family, savings, CDs, IRAs, HSAs, mortgages, HELOCs, consumer loans, Visa credit cards, Pure Personality custom debit cards), business banking (business checking tiers, commercial loans, commercial real estate, agriculture loans, SBA 7A/504 loans, affordable housing lending), treasury management (Business Online Banking, Desktop Express powered by FIS, Positive Pay fraud prevention, Image Lockbox, Automated Money Management sweeps, Merchant Card Services), and wealth management (Heartland Planning Associates, Asset Management, Retirement Plans & Services integrated with LPL Financial and WealthAccess). Pricing is structured around transaction fees, net interest income, and recurring wealth management fees, with retail pricing examples including $7/month $MART Checking maintenance and 3.60-3.75% APY CD specials.

Heartland operates a primarily direct-to-consumer GTM model combining local relationship banking with digital onboarding. Customer engagement is supported through an in-house marketing engine spanning website content, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram), FDIC Money Smart financial education programs reaching 2,000+ students, a Banker in Training (BIT) program for high school graduates, OSU Athletics sponsorship, and the Heartland Bank Community Foundation (over $50,000 donated to USO of Ohio since 2016). The bank earned Forbes Best Banks 2026 recognition and Newsweek Best Regional Banks 2024 honors, with German American Bank's 14th consecutive year of dividend increases (parent) signaling sustained operating discipline.

Name

Heartland Bank

Legal name

Heartland Bank

Website

https://heartland.bank

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Heartland Bank is a regional community bank offering personal banking, business lending, treasury management, and wealth management services to consumers, small-to-mid-size businesses, and agricultural operations across Ohio and Kentucky, now operating as a division of German American Bank.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ft Mitchell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices17 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. Net Interest Income: Traditional banking revenue from interest earned on loans (mortgages, consumer loans, business loans, commercial real estate, agriculture loans) and securities, offset by interest paid on deposits. Primary revenue driver for a community bank.
2. Non-Interest Income: Fee income from deposit account maintenance, ATM transactions, wire transfers, treasury management services, merchant card services, credit card fees, wealth management fees, and other banking services.
3. Wealth Management Services: Asset management fees, retirement plan services, financial planning, and investment services through Heartland Planning Associates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Heartland Bank provides personal and business banking services through 20+ branches across Ohio and Kentucky, offering checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, IRAs, mortgages, home equity lines of credit, consumer and commercial loans, business checking accounts, treasury management, merchant card services, and wealth management. The bank is supported by online and mobile banking platforms, digital wallets, Zelle peer-to-peer payments, and access to 55,000+ surcharge-free ATMs through the Allpoint network. As a division of German American Bank since February 2025, Heartland combines local relationship banking with the scale of a $119.21 million-revenue regional banking franchise.

Product overview

Heartland Bank is a regional community bank operating as a division of German American Bank, offering a comprehensive suite of personal and business banking products. The core product portfolio includes multiple checking account variants ($MART Checking, $MART Checking with Interest, e-$MART Checking, Student Checking), savings accounts with specialized options (Round Up Savings, Market Smart, CDs, IRAs, Health Savings Accounts), and mortgage/consumer lending products. The bank operates a Digital Banking platform providing online and mobile banking with card control features. For business customers, Heartland offers Business Checking Accounts, Business Loans, Commercial Real Estate lending, Agriculture Loans, Treasury Management Services (including Positive Pay/TMS fraud prevention, Merchant Card Services, Image Lockbox, and Automated Money Management), and Visa business credit cards. Wealth Management services include Asset Management, Retirement Planning, and Heartland Planning Associates for financial planning. Additional value-added services include SavvyMoney Credit Score monitoring, SecurLOCK Communicate fraud alerts, Visa Savings Edge, ShieldPerks benefits, and Bank Smart financial education programs. The bank also supports the community through the Heartland Bank Community Foundation and career development programs like the Banker in Training (BIT) Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heartland Planning Associates: Wealth management and financial planning services including financial planning, investment services, business consulting, and long-term care solutions.
• $MART Checking
• Smartest Home Equity Line of Credit
• Pure Personality Check Card
• ShieldPerks
• Round Up Savings

Products and services

• $MART Checking
• $MART Checking with Interest
• e-$MART Checking
• Student Checking
• Savings Accounts
• CDs (Certificates of Deposit)
• IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts)
• Health Savings Accounts
• Mortgage
• Smartest Home Equity Line of Credit
• Consumer Loans
• Visa Gold Credit Card
• Visa Platinum Credit Card
• Pure Personality Check Card
• Digital Banking
• Business Checking Accounts
• Business Loans
• Visa Platinum Business Credit Card
• Visa Platinum Purchasing Elite Credit Card
• Commercial Real Estate Lending
• Agriculture Loans
• Treasury Management Services
• Merchant Card Services
• Wealth Management
• Asset Management
• Retirement Plans and Services
• Heartland Planning Associates
• Affordable Housing Lending

Quantifiable outcome

• Nationally ranked by Forbes and Newsweek as a top regional bank
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Ohio State University AthleticsflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Heartland Bank is a proud sponsor of Ohio State University Athletics with deep community involvement including campus visibility, sporting events, Farm Science Review sponsorship, and student-athlete financial education workshops at Schottenstein Center and Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
• USO of OhiocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Heartland Bank Community Foundation partners with USO of Ohio through the OSU football touchdown program, donating $100 for each touchdown scored during regular season games. Over $50,000 has been donated since 2016 to support military men and women in Ohio.
• FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartland Bank partners with the FDIC through the Bank Smart - Financial Education program, offering comprehensive FDIC Money Smart Curriculum covering financial education topics for students of all ages from PreK through adults and small businesses. The program provides educational resources intended to be taught in classrooms or workshops by Heartland's team of financial professionals.
• SBA (Small Business Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeartland Bank partners with the SBA to offer specialty lending programs including 7A Loans (primary source of long-term financing for small businesses with flexible terms) and 504 Loans (long-term fixed-rate financing for business expansion and modernization with below-market rates).
• Allpoint NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationHeartland Bank customers gain access to over 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs worldwide through the Allpoint network, the world's largest surcharge-free ATM network located in premiere retail locations including CVS/pharmacy, Kroger, Target, Walgreens, and Winn-Dixie.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHeartland Bank Community Foundation participates in Kroger Community Rewards program, which donates a percentage of shopping purchases directly to the foundation based on specific parameters relating to customer shopping, at no cost to customers.
• Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SBA for small business education classes covering organization types, financial management, risk management, record keeping, banking services, credit reporting, tax planning, insurance options, and succession planning.
• TransUnioncoreTechnology or IntegrationSavvyMoney Credit Score program pulls credit profile from TransUnion and uses VantageScore 3.0 to provide customers with credit scores and monitoring within digital banking.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stock Yards Bancorp: Louisville, Kentucky-headquartered community bank with wealth management arm. Directly comparable in Kentucky footprint overlap, community-banking model, and mix of commercial banking and wealth advisory services.
• First Financial Bancorp: Cincinnati, Ohio-headquartered community bank with comparable Ohio/Kentucky branch footprint and similar mix of commercial, CRE, and consumer lending. Most direct geographic and product-line competitor to Heartland in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
• WesBanco: Multi-state community bank headquartered in Wheeling, WV with significant Ohio presence. Comparable in product breadth (personal, business, wealth, treasury management) and community-bank scale similar to Heartland.
• Civista Bancshares: Ohio community bank with branches across central and northern Ohio, including the Columbus metro area where Heartland has dense presence. Comparable community-bank scale, SBA and CRE lending orientation, and Ohio deposit franchise.
• First Merchants Corporation: Indiana-based community bank now affiliated with German American (sister/same-region relationship). Operates in Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky with comparable community-bank product suite and CRE/ag lending mix.
• LCNB Corp. Ohio-based community bank operating primarily in southwest Ohio including Greater Cincinnati. Closely comparable footprint, deposit-funded lending model, and community banking orientation in markets overlapping Heartland's.
• Park National Corporation: Ohio-based community bank holding company operating across central and southern Ohio. Closely comparable in size, community-bank model, mix of commercial/agricultural/consumer lending, and relationship-based banking approach.

Broad incumbents

• Fifth Third Bank: Major Cincinnati-headquartered regional bank with dominant Ohio/Kentucky branch footprint. Competes across personal, business, wealth, and treasury management categories with Heartland; broader product portfolio but overlapping Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky market.
• Huntington Bancshares: Large regional bank headquartered in Columbus, Ohio with deep Ohio retail/commercial/SBA presence and significantly larger scale. Overlaps Heartland's Columbus and broader Ohio footprint and competes for similar SMB and consumer customers.

Regional players

• S&T Bancorp: Pennsylvania-headquartered community bank serving western PA and Ohio markets. Comparable in community-bank scale and commercial/consumer mix, though operating in a different primary geography from Heartland's Ohio/Kentucky core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heartlandbank
• Facebookfacebook.com/heartlandbank1911
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartland-bank
• Instagraminstagram.com/heartlandbank

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Heartland Bank