Citizens National Bank is celebrating 136 years of service to the good people of Mississippi this year. While the Bank is now one of the largest community banks in the state and one of the strongest, most stable, and most secure banks in the nation, we had very humble beginnings. On March 6, 1888, the Mississippi Legislature granted a handwritten charter to a group of businessmen and farmers who raised $50,000 to open Citizens Savings Bank. From our first location in a store on a dirt street in downtown Meridian, the Bank has grown to over $1.7 billion in assets, and it manages another $1.6 billion in its Wealth Management Division. Instead of simply acquiring other banks, we have grown organically—by adding one customer at a time and by building and expanding relationships with our valued customers. Standing the test of time, the Bank was also successful in weathering the storms of the Great Depression and was one of only six banks in the state of Mississippi to begin serving the public immediately after Franklin Roosevelt’s emergency “bank holiday” March 14, 1933. Today, as more and more community banks are being acquired by larger regional institutions which have moved ownership and resources out of the state of Mississippi, our bank is more committed than ever to continue operating as an independent, community bank. We proudly serve 15 Mississippi communities with 27 branch locations, and we believe it’s critical to Mississippi’s future for us to help Mississippians grow and prosper. In fact, we consider our destiny to be one of continuing to earn the right to be Mississippi’s Community Bank. With a rock-solid foundation and a steadfast commitment to the citizens of our great state, we look forward to all that the future holds and the power of a better tomorrow that becomes possible when we all work together!