Our Promise
At Farmers State Bank, the core of our story is a simple truth: No One Serves You Better!
We can honestly promise this because we work harder and care more. We’re going to do whatever it takes to make you happy. But it’s not difficult. We simply treat you the way we would want to be treated.
At Farmers State Bank, we remain true to this core value of service because it’s the same on which we were raised. Only, who knew it would also turn out to be a great foundation on which to build a bank.
You see, Farmers State Bank is independently owned. So we have the freedom to be as friendly and likable as we please. We take our cues from you. And you rely on us to serve you with everything we’ve got, today and for life. We know that kind of lifelong loyalty is only deserved when we provide you with consistently better service than you can find anywhere else.
Tom Franks, Chairman
Our History
Farmers State Bank of Alto Pass (FSB) is an independently owned, community bank located in southern Illinois and was founded in January of 1910. It is family owned and operated so when a customer walks into the bank they know exactly what it stands for and represents, which is serving it's community. In fact, the owner, Thomas (Tom) William Franks of Harrisburg, IL, maintains an active role in the bank as Chairman of the Board to this day.
In 1994, Franks purchased Farmers State Bank of Alto Pass. Mr. Franks had been blessed in his business endeavors with coal-mining but, because of the unpredictable economic environment of the industry, decided to diversify. Tom sat on several bank boards throughout his life. He felt fairly knowledgeable in the banking industry and saw a great opportunity for growth. Mr. Franks acquired the flagship branch Farmers State Bank of Alto Pass. At that point the bank was family owned and had approximately $3,000,000 in assets. Over the next 28 years, under Mr. Franks ownership, Farmers State Bank grew to over $325,000,000 in total assets with four operating locations.
Franks’ dream was to open a FSB location in his hometown of Harrisburg, Illinois. His motto was Banking the Old Fashioned way where “handshake loans” were a way of life. With the Franks Family reputation and Tom’s vision, Farmers State Bank quickly became the top bank in the Harrisburg community when the 2nd location opened in 1995. Two years later, God laid it on Tom’s heart to buy an old restaurant with .25 acres of land on Highway 13 in Marion, Illinois and in 1997 the Marion East branch was built. Over the next 10 years Farmers State Bank became the number one bank in Williamson County. This growth lead to the opening of the Marion West branch in 2015.
In 2017, Tom’s son-in-law, Charles M. Holland, took the reins as CEO of Farmers State Bank. Through his decisions in leadership, FSB increased in asset size from $197,000,000 to our current asset size of $325,000,000 in under five years. Charles started his employment with FSB as a teller and has held several positions within the bank, giving him a hands-on approach to his leadership. Customers can still find him stepping in to help at the teller lines on a busy day. Through electing leadership who understand the family’s faith, vision, and giving heart, while also being well-respected by the team, the future of Farmers State Bank is in good hands.
Tom wanted his banks to be different than others in the area. One theme all of the branches have in common is its customers will never feel as though they are walking into a bank. “Banks tend to be cold and institutional,” Franks said. “I want Farmers State Bank to be warm, friendly and inviting. Our customers and employees are part of the family and our banks represent that.”