Our story began in 1947 in Leighton, Alabama, when the area’s only bank unexpectedly closed, leaving the hardworking residents of eastern Colbert County without banking services for the first time since 1903.

A group of Leighton farmers and businesspeople recognized the needs of their community and pooled their resources to open The Bank of Leighton on August 4, 1947. The Colbert County Reporter newspaper reported that “the appreciation of the townspeople was thoroughly demonstrated by the nice deposits made on the first day.”

This new, aggressive organization was renamed First Colbert Bank in 1965. Our bank soon advanced from a state-chartered bank to a national bank in 1967 to become First Colbert National Bank after moving our headquarters from Leighton to Sheffield, Alabama.

In 1975, Board Chairperson Edward Fennel Mauldin organized a group of investors, including some directors of First Colbert National Bank, to charter The Bank of Florence in Lauderdale County, Alabama. At the same time, First Colbert continued to expand its offices in Colbert County.

The two banks merged on December 1, 1982 to become Bank Independent. According to a February 1983 article in the Times Daily newspaper, the formation of Bank Independent “began a new era in banking for the citizens of Colbert and Lauderdale counties.”

Bank Independent continued to build its branch network by opening new offices in Colbert and Lauderdale counties. In 2002, the bank expanded into Morgan County by opening a loan production office in Decatur, Alabama. Two years later, a similar office was opened in Athens in Limestone County, Alabama, broadening Bank Independent’s footprint to four counties in the northwest corner of the state.

In November 2005, the bank purchased 17 offices of Colonial Bank in locations throughout North Alabama, resulting in 25 offices of Bank Independent operating in 15 communities and six counties. This acquisition expanded the bank’s presence into Lawrence and Franklin counties.

Bank Independent continued to grow with the acquisition of The Citizens Bank of Moulton in December 2008. This resulted in three additional offices in Lawrence County.

In August 2009, the Bank welcomed Interstate Billing Service, Inc. (IBS) to the Bank Independent family. IBS, a nationwide corporate billing service based in Decatur, Alabama, offered the bank a new dimension of growth opportunities, as well as 87 employees.

The Bank expanded into a new and exciting area in July 2014 with the opening of a loan production office in historic downtown Huntsville. This was the 27th Bank Independent office, offering exceptional service to a seventh county. A second full-service office was opened in Madison in 2018.

Bank Independent continued its expansion in the Huntsville area in 2022 with the opening of an office in the new MidCity development. This modern facility provided banking services to the growing residential and business community in west Huntsville.

Bank Independent and Prince Holdings celebrated the opening of 225 Holmes Avenue in early 2023. Located in Downtown Huntsville, 225 Holmes is a five-story mixed-use development project in the heart of the city’s business district. The office building offers over 77,000 square feet of much-needed Class A office space and ground floor retail opportunity.

Further growth followed in 2023 with a new office in Hampton Cove to serve customers in that area. By late 2023, a convenient new location opened on County Line Road in Madison. Bank Independent plans to open its newest Huntsville-area office in early 2024, serving the South Huntsville community. With multiple locations now across the city, Bank Independent is committed to providing exceptional banking services across the Huntsville metro area.

Today, Bank Independent employs over 650 local team members who are deeply involved in the areas served by the bank. As we enter our seventh decade of continuous commitment to those communities, our team members, leadership and shareholders honor the firm foundation established by the bank’s founding fathers in 1947. Bank Independent will always remain rooted in tradition even as we focus on a future of growth and prosperity.

Latest Ratings

“#33 in the Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces list by Newsweek” The 2023 Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces® are the result of a collaboration with the Best Practice Institute (BPI), a leadership development and benchmark research company. The results were determined after surveying more than 1.4 million employees from businesses with workforces varying in size from 50 to more than 10,000. The list recognizes companies that put respect, caring, and appreciation for their employees at the center of their business model and, in doing so, have earned the loyalty and respect of the people who work for them. Bank Independent made the list in 2022 coming in at #36.

Best Companies to Work For by American Banker Magazine

Bank Independent has been named to this list from 2019-2023. Honorees are selected through two different surveys managed by the Best Companies Group. The first one measures employee satisfaction in eight different categories, including communication, happiness with role, and relationship with supervisor. Overall, the average score of positive responses for the banks that made the list was 91%, compared with 83% for the institutions that didn't make the cut. The second survey examines the policies and employee benefits of each institution. This gives banks the chance to highlight some of the unique and popular perks they offer staff members.

Best Companies to Work For by Business Alabama Magazine

Bank Independent has been named to this list from 2020-2023. Each year, companies around the state compete to prove that their company offers the best combination of those qualities. They provide a glimpse into the culture of their workplace, in hopes they’ll be named the best among the best companies to work for in Alabama. Companies submit their information to The Best Companies Group, which evaluates the responses and interviews employees before picking the best of the best.

“Most Loved Workplace” by Best Practice Institute (BPI). Most Loved Workplaces® certify companies where employees are the happiest and most satisfied at work. Bank Independent became certified as a Most Loved Workplace based on its scores on the Love of Workplace Index™, which surveyed employees on various elements around employee satisfaction and sentiment, including the level of respect, collaboration, support, and sense of belonging they feel inside the Company. Bank Independent has made the list each year since 2020.

“Superior” by BauerFinancial. This five-star rating is the highest awarded to banks by BauerFinancial, which places Bank Independent on BauerFinancial’s “Recommended Report.” Bank Independent has earned this designation 136 consecutive quarters since the third quarter of 1989.

“Blue Ribbon” by Veribanc. Veribanc’s Blue Ribbon Bank Commendation of Excellence formally recognizes banks which have met exceptionally high standards and have demonstrated exceptional attention to safety, soundness and financial strength. Bank Independent has achieved this designation 64 consecutive quarters since the third quarter of 2007

Community

We've always believed that "a rising tide lifts all boats." That if we can help the individuals, families and businesses in our communities to thrive, both economically and socially, we will all win. Click here to learn more about our team's commitment to giving back.