Busting Some Myths About Farmers Bank

Author: Ryan Davelaar, AVP Commercial Loan Officer

Have you ever seen or heard of the show MythBusters which used to air on the Discovery Channel?  During each show, the hosts would perform scientific experiments to determine the validity of a wide range of rumors, myths, movie scenes, Internet videos, and news stories.  By the end of each episode, the hosts would declare each myth to be “Busted”, “Plausible”, or “Confirmed” based on the outcome of their experiments.  It was entertaining to see what experiments the hosts would come up with, and they usually were able to mix in a little comedy as well.

During my almost 10 years of working at Farmers Bank, I have heard a few myths about the bank.  While I am not going to perform any scientific experiments, I do intend to provide some useful information to hopefully “Bust” these myths.

Myth #1:  Farmers Bank can’t be as competitive as a large, national bank.  Ouch, that’s hurtful…and incorrect!  Yes, we are a bank with only one branch location here in Spencer, but that works as an advantage for us.  That means our CD rates, loan decisions, product promotions, etc. are all made right here in Spencer.  We are close to our community and understand our community’s needs.  We don’t have a corporate office in some metropolitan area telling us how to do our business in Spencer.

Myth #2:  Banking at Farmers Bank is only convenient if I live in Spencer.  Don't get me wrong, we love seeing our customers in the bank lobby or coming through our Drive-Up.  However, we have numerous tools for personal, commercial, real estate, and ag banking that make it convenient to do business with us no matter where you are.  Examples include:  Online & Mobile Banking, iTalk Telebanking, Mobile Deposit, eSign, and many more.  Give us a call to find out how we can make banking with us easier from anywhere.

Myth #3:  Farmers Bank is only for farmers.  Being a community bank in NW Iowa, we certainly understand how important the farming industry is to our entire country and even the entire world.  We want to do everything we can to help our farmers be successful and have the tools to do just that.  However, we are a full-service bank.  We have several products for Commercial Banking, Commercial Lending, Real Estate Lending, Consumer Banking, and Consumer Lending.  We want to help all sectors of our community succeed.

Myth #4:  Farmers Bank employees must not work very hard because I see them outside the bank all the time.  Okay.  First, we do work hard.  Second, I’ve never actually heard someone say that but needed a good segue to my next point:  Farmers Bank supports and encourages its employees to volunteer throughout the community.  That is why you’ll often see Farmers Bank employees helping at the Clay County Fair, helping with various activities at the schools, participating in local service clubs, and so many more.

I hope this post proved to be informational and maybe even gave you a little chuckle.  If you’d like to learn more about any of the products mentioned, or maybe have another myth about Farmers Bank you’d like us to address, please stop by the bank or give us a call at 712-262-3340.