First City Bank

F I RST C I TY BANK With 12 employees, First City Bank prides itself on the unique experience they offer to customers. Referred to as ‘decision makers’, each member of staff brings years of knowledge and experience to their position at the bank. Jim Bush, Executive Vice President, describes, “We offer a level of service that most other institutions just can’t deliver. One of the primary things we do is to have very experienced people. We really pride ourselves on being able to put experienced professionals in front of our customers. Some of them may be first time investors, or first-time business owners buying real estate, so they need an extra level of service that we are able to provide. That’s where being small is valuable, because all the decision makers are here – allowing us to respond and provide that level of service in a way that most organizations can’t.” Working out of one location keeps things simple for First City Bank, putting the focus on building relationships within the community and bringing in new business. “The days of people just walking in and wanting your services, particularly in a metropolitan area, have long since passed,” says Bank President Charlie Cecil. “We go out and meet people, network, and try to source our own business. Having one location isn’t that much of a hindrance to us based on the way we source our business. It keeps our overhead down and allows us to deliver a high level of service and be very consistent. To a large degree, it is by design that we maintain just one location.” Although the bank does offer residential deposit services to the surrounding neighborhoods, the focus is on commercial investment, business lending, and other small business services. The onset of COVID-19 was a time of uncertainty for many in Columbus, and across the state of Ohio, but First City Bank didn’t lose sight of their exemplary customer service, reaching out to loan