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Gibson City bank merging with corporation
By Michelle Koetters
mkoetters@pantagraph.com
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GIBSON CITY -- Bank of Gibson City is a rural community bank with a focus on small business and agriculture.

Longview Capital Corp. wants to own community banks in small- to medium-sized rural communities.

Those similar business philosophies made for a good fit as the Gibson City bank prepares to merge with the Newman-based corporation, said Tracy Epps, president of Bank of Gibson City, 804 S. Sangamon Ave.

“This allows the opportunity to provide for our past business situation and continue with the future,” Epps said.

The sale of BGG Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Bank of Gibson City, to Longview Capital Corp. is pending stockholder and regulatory approval. The transition could take about two months, said John Albin, president of Longview Capital Corp.

“I look at Gibson City as being a very viable rural community,” Albin said. “They have good business in town, and the farmland around Gibson City is of high quality.”

Longview Capital Corp. owns four banks — the Longview State Bank in Sidney, First National Bank of Ogden, State Bank of Chrisman and First National Bank in Georgetown — with a total of 10 locations and assets of $210 million, Albin said. The Gibson City bank will bring the company’s total assets to $270 million, he said.

Each of Longview’s banks is operated individually as a community bank, Albin said.

Management and employees at Bank of Gibson City will stay the same, as will the bank’s name. All of the bank’s decision making still will be done locally, Epps added. But Bank of Gibson City customers will see some enhanced banking services, he said.

For example, deserving customers will be able to receive larger loans since more banks are part of the same company, Albin said. More investment products also will be available to the Gibson City community, he said.

“Our goal is to serve the small businesses in those towns and serve the agriculture community around those towns,” Albin said. “We pride ourselves in being an ag lender.”

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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

to huh? wrote on Oct 23, 2007 4:21 PM:

" It means do not bank there. It is a poor excuse for a bank. "

Huh? wrote on Oct 23, 2007 9:04 AM:

" Epps said, "“This allows the opportunity to provide for our past business situation ..." What does that mean? "
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