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Bottom line: First Citizens offers a wider range of business financing options than your typical community bank — and it offers a special program for agriculture.
Business term loans, business lines of credit, SBA loans, equipment loans, letters of credit, accounts receivable financing, agriculture loans, commercial real estate loans, personal loans, private education loans, personal lines of credit, auto loans
Types of loans available
Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware
Area serviced
Yes
Online applications
Types of loans available | Business term loans, business lines of credit, SBA loans, equipment loans, letters of credit, accounts receivable financing, agriculture loans, commercial real estate loans, personal loans, private education loans, personal lines of credit, auto loans |
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Area serviced | Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware |
Online applications | Yes |
Number of branches | 30 |
Branch hours | Varies by branch, usually 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays at select branches |
Customer service hours | 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday |
Customer service options | Phone, form email |
Mobile app | Yes |
Routing number | 031309589 |
Review by
Anna Serio is a trusted lending expert and certified Commercial Loan Officer who's published more than 1,000 articles on Finder to help Americans strengthen their financial literacy. A former editor of a newspaper in Beirut, Anna writes about personal, student, business and car loans. Today, digital publications like Business Insider, CNBC and the Simple Dollar feature her professional commentary, and she earned an Expert Contributor in Finance badge from review site Best Company in 2020.
First Citizens Community Bank offers more than you might find at your average local lender. It has a dedicated agriculture loans program and its financing options include letters of credit, accounts receivable financing and SBA loans. It’s also one of the rare community banks to offer private student loans.
Though it doesn’t have any online customer reviews, it’s consistently won awards through publications like Forbes and American Banker. But while it offers an online application on some loans to speed up the process, it’s not totally virtual. You still have to stop by a branch to apply for business loans.
There are a few banks that share the name First Citizens Community Bank. This review is about the Eastern Pennsylvania bank with locations in Allegheny County, New York, as well as New Castle and Kent Counties in Delaware.
This First Community Bank has been an award-winning lender, especially when it comes to customer service and agriculture lending. Most notably, Forbes readers voted it Best State Bank in 2018 and 2019 and American Banker ranked it as a top-performing bank 13 years in a row.
You can find the following types of loans at this local lender.
Like many community banks in rural areas, First Citizens Community Bank specializes in agricultural financing. It has a dedicated agriculture team and advisory board, as well as a separate loan program specifically for agricultural businesses.
First Citizens Community Bank allows you to apply for some of its loan products online to speed up the process. But you still have to set up an appointment with a loan officer to apply for a business loan. And you need to come into a branch after you've been approved to sign your loan documents.
Typically community banks take at least a few weeks to process applications. But since First Citizens uses online applications, the turnaround on these loans is likely shorter. Still, it won't be as fast as getting funding through an online lender.
You can get started by submitting a request for information about the business loan you're interested in.
Compare Citizens Community Bank against a selection of online lenders before you apply.
First Citizens Community Bank doesn't have any online reviews. This is unusual for a bank of this size, but not uncommon for financial institutions that mainly serve tight-knit rural communities. Ask other business owners in your area about their experiences with this bank for an overview of the quality of customer service.
Only a few employees have left online reviews, which are mostly positive. The majority mention having positive relationships with customers and their coworkers — though not all. This can be a sign that First Citizens has relatively low turnover. Banks with low turnover usually mean you can rely on one loan officer for years.
Consider signing up for these other banking products when you apply for a loan. The more accounts you have with a bank, the easier it is to manage and qualify for financing.
Andrew Ross and Philip Williams founded Ross and Williams Bank in 1872, which would eventually grow to become First Community Bank. That first branch opened in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, where First Community is still headquartered. It opened branches in Delaware in April 2020 when it acquired MidCoast Community Bank. And it opened a new branch in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in November 2020.
Find a lender that offers the best option for your business by comparing more business loans.