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Since 1888

Celebrating 135 years of service to the good people of Mississippi.

Since 1888

Celebrating 135 years of service to the good people of Mississippi.

History

CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK, 512 TWENTY-SECOND AVENUE
The Bank moved into this newly constructed seven-story building in 1912. It housed the Bank for approximately 50 years and was demolished in the early 1960s to make way for CNB's current building, which was completed in 1967.

Citizens National Bank is celebrating 135 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.

CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK, FOURTH STREET
CNB's first Accounting Department is pictured above (circa 1901) at the Bank's original location on Fourth Street.

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!

Declaration of Independence

As an independent community bank, we believe there is a major advantage to doing business with a locally owned bank such as Citizens National Bank, where our customers' needs are met by banking professionals who live in the same community. While more and more community banks have been acquired by larger regional banks, with a "one size fits all" philosophy, we remain steadfast in our commitment to stay independent, to stay focused on Mississippi, and to help our customers to grow and prosper. Our banking professionals take the time to understand the specific needs of our customers, and all decisions are made as quickly as possible at the local level.

There is a true advantage to banking with an independent community bank that has been in business for 135 years, and we promise to continue working hard to earn our customers' trust each and every day.

Whereas, we the shareholders, directors, and employees of Citizens National Bank all consider ourselves stakeholders in the success and profitability of Citizens National Bank; and

Whereas, we further pledge our commitment to the Banks more than 100-year old tradition of serving others and preserving community banking in Mississippi,

Now, therefore, we declare our intention to remain an independent and locally owned bank staffed by caring and knowledgeable community bankers who listen, understand, and dedicate themselves to doing everything possible to help fulfill the earthly dreams of the good people of Mississippi.