First Farmers Bank & Trust to open first branch in Lebanon

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First Farmers Bank & Trust, one of the top 15 largest Indiana chartered banks, has announced that its newest branch will open in Boone County in Lebanon, pending all state and federal approvals.

“Lebanon is growing and thriving, so we saw a real need for a local, trusted community bank in the area. We look forward to fostering longstanding relationships with new and current customers alike, while serving the community through our continued commitment to heart and grit banking,” said Rick Isenhower, Vice President, Senior Commercial and Ag Lender. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Boone County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and its former president.

The new branch will be located inside of the Lebanon Gateway Shops complex just east of the intersection of State Road 32 and Interstate 65. The full retail center totals nearly 25 acres and opened in 2021 with a variety of storefronts. The architect of the bank branch, K4 Architecture, is also the same architect designing the new First Farmers Bank & Trust branch opening in Carmel later this year.

“Expanding our newest bank branch into Lebanon and the surrounding Boone County area was an easy choice for our team,” President & CEO Mark “Doc” Holt said. “We are eager for this new opportunity to provide our services to local Lebanon customers – as well as those in Montgomery and Hendricks County – while remaining true to our agricultural roots as a community bank.”

Rendering provided by K4 Architecture and Design

First Farmers Bank & Trust expects to open its Lebanon branch in late Q4 2024. It will be the bank’s 38^th location across Indiana and eastern Illinois.

“Lebanon and the surrounding area fall directly in line with our goal and strategic vision of growing the bank,” said Tade Powell, Senior Vice President and Director of Communications and Public Relations. “We recognize the massive economic development underway across central Indiana and being a part of this growth is very exciting as 2025 will mark our 140^th year in business.”

First Farmers Bank & Trust has been growing rapidly this past year. Recently, the bank’s first-quarter dividend of $0.48 represented a 4.3 percent increase over the dividend declared in March 2023. In 2023, earnings per share increased 11.8 percent to a record $6.57 per share, the 16^th consecutive year of record earnings for the bank. Overall in 2023, the Bank saw continued asset growth as its assets surpassed the $3 billion mark for the first time.

To learn more about First Farmers Bank & Trust, visit ffbt.com or find First Farmers on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About First Farmers Bank & Trust | First Farmers Financial Corp.
First Farmers Financial Corp. is a $3 billion financial holding company headquartered in Converse, Ind. First Farmers Bank & Trust has offices throughout Carroll, Cass, Clay, Grant, Hamilton, Howard, Huntington, Madison, Marshall, Miami, Starke, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vigo, and Wabash counties in Indiana, and offices in Coles, Edgar, and Vermilion counties in Illinois. Since 1885, First Farmers Bank & Trust has been honored to serve local businesses, families and farms with banking built on heart and grit. First Farmers Financial Corp is traded on the OTC Markets Group, Inc. “OTCQX” exchange under the ticker symbol: FFMR. Member FDIC.