History

• In November 1900 the Bank of Birnamwood was founded as a family owned, private bank by J.H. Van Doren along with his son Dee. The original bank was comprised of a 16x56 ft. space with a basement, alongside a 32x80 ft. space for a store in a new building built by Mr. Van Doren in this same year, and to serve these purposes. Capital at this time was $5,000.00.

• In May 1903. The Bank of Birnamwood was formally chartered as a State Bank by the State of Wisconsin. At this time the Bank’s staff consisted of J.H. Van Doren, President; Dee Van Doren, Cashier and Ella Kimball, Bookkeeper.
• In April 1932 following a fire which destroyed the original bank building and grocery store, construction of a new building was begun on Main Street in Birnamwood. Construction of this building was completed in December 1933 wherein the building was occupied.
• In January 1934 The Bank became a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
• In November 1945 the Bank expanded by adding a branch office in Hatley Wisconsin.
• In June 1984 following a determination to construct a new office building due to size constraints, an open house was held in the new main office building located at 416 Main Street in Birnamwood. The former office building which was located across the street from the new building was subsequently sold and presently houses a dental clinic.
• In December 1988 the Bank determined to change its name to Banner Banks in order to better identify its offices within the communities it serves, and chose for its logo three banners in the primary colors of red, blue and yellow in order to demonstrate our commitment to being our customer’s primary financial institution.
• In October 1990 an additional branch office was opened in Antigo, Wisconsin. This office was originally located in a renovated mobile home purchased for that purpose, with construction of a permanent, brick and motor office building on the same site having been completed in December 1994.
• In 1995 the Bank’s locations were again expanded with the opening of its 3rd branch office in Wittenberg, WI. The original office building was located in a renovated residential property, with a new, permanent brick and mortar building having been constructed on a lot adjoining this property in April 2005. This same building was designed to also house an additional business with the space presently occupied by Gwidt Pharmacy Inc.
• Currently the Bank’s Holding Company, Banner Bancorp, Ltd., owns 100% of the outstanding stock of Banner Banks. True to our roots, we remain a family owned and managed, independent community bank, just like the small bank founded by J.H. Van Doren and his son Dee in 1900.

Vision

• To remain a profitable investment for our shareholder(s) while continuing to improve the communities we serve and enhancing the lives of our employees and the individuals living therein.

Mission

As disclosed within our Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) policy, the mission of Banner Banks is:

• To be a profitable, independent community bank.
• To develop a challenged, well-trained, strongly motivated staff to be fairly rewarded for highly productive work.
• To provide a reasonable return for our stockholders/investors and to offer a fair market value for their stock from within our organization.
• To continue to serve the traditional banking needs of our immediate communities with individual emphasis on the agricultural and consumer sectors and the expansion of the small business and professional segments of our market.
• To maintain an image of excellence in promising personalized professional service with emphasis on close relationships with our VIP customers.
• To operate independently, to pool resources, management, technical expertise and personnel when it enhances productivity.

Community Reinvestment Act

Banner Banks is committed to its community and its desire to extend credit to and to participate in community development programs designed to meet the needs of all community members, including those in low- and moderate-income areas.

• We will actively seek to understand the credit needs of our community.
• We will actively strive to ensure that our products and services are responsive to the needs of the customers within our community.
• We will actively strive to ensure that all potential customers in our community, including those in low- and moderate-income areas, are fully aware of the services we offer and of our desire to serve their financial needs.
• We will actively work to ensure that our personnel understand and share the Bank's commitment to providing service to all of our customers and are provided with the knowledge, products, delivery systems, and motivation to do so effectively.

To view our public CRA Folder, please click the link below:
CRA Public File