The Citizens Holding Company – A Legacy of Achievement and Service

It was 1908, and the place was Philadelphia, Mississippi.

This rural, unassuming town, known for its southern hospitality and good, hardworking people, stood poised to make its mark in the world. A small group of Philadelphia’s community leaders felt something in the wind - and they saw the community’s potential to grow beyond its historic agricultural base without sacrificing its unique way of life.

This forward-looking group of visionaries realized the need to help their citizens, to turn ideas into enterprises, concepts into companies, institutions who would change Philadelphia and east Mississippi forever.

This concept, this will to do better, was the birthright of an institution ready to establish its “Legacy of Achievement and Service.”

With only $50,000 in capital, $5,000 in surplus and a couple of employees, a dream had become reality. The bank began to grow, and in 1917, only nine years after it had begun, the national charter of “First National Bank” was surrendered for a state charter and the name became “The Citizens Bank”. . . the brand that is so familiar to thousands of customers today, the name that is synonymous with “achievement and service.”

What is the legacy of The Citizens Bank? What has the institution accomplished and what difference has it made in the lives of its customers – its citizens?

To say that The Citizens Bank has achieved the vision of its original founders would be understating its accomplishments. The bank not only survived the Great Depression, but it emerged stronger and more determined. With sustained growth, the mid 1960’s saw assets well over $10,000,000 as the bank’s management and stockholders seized the opportunity and opened a new state-of-the-art main office building in Philadelphia, Mississippi. This was quickly followed by opening the doors to three new branches in Neshoba County, including Pearl River.

And the desire to serve would not stop there, as the last three decades have seen expansion throughout east central Mississippi, was The Citizens Bank has moved into Union, Carthage, Madden, Sebastopol, DeKalb, Kosciusko, Scooba, Meridian, Forest, Decatur, Noxapater, and Louisville! The newest location currently in the works is The Citizens Bank’s newest branch, which will be located in Starkville, Mississippi – home to Mississippi State University!

In 1999, with approximately $360,000,000 in assets, it was The Citizens Bank who rang the bell at the American Stock Exchange, as traders had their first opportunity to buy stock in The Citizens Holding Company.

Competent, courteous, and professional employees. There is absolutely no doubt that the key to The Citizens Bank’s success over the last 97 years, has been the quality of the staff that has served our customers. It was true in 1908, when two able employees successfully established the bank’s legacy of achievement and service, and it’s true today, with over 250 employees serving thousands of customers throughout east central Mississippi!

You know, there “was” something in the wind that day in 1908. It was the knowledge that the sound vision of community leaders, investors, and competent employees could “together” accomplish something great. Greg McKee, the President and CEO of The Citizens Bank, said it this way, “To have a great community bank, you must have faithful customers, you must have committed stockholders, and you must have dedicated, professional employees. We’ve been successful at The Citizens Bank, because we have all three – and it’s these three key elements of success that will take us into the future and allow The Citizens Bank to continue to forge its legacy of achievement and service!"

The Citizens Bank of Philadelphia Corporate offices, Philadelphia, MS.