News & Events

First Bank Named 2026 National Community Bank Service Awards Recipient Honorable Mention Profiled in Independent Banker

Press Release: Clewiston, Fla. (Sept. 1, 2026)—First Bank has received an honorable mention in the Independent Community Bankers of America’s (ICBA) 2026 National Community Bank Service Awards. This annual program celebrates the remarkable and creative volunteer efforts of the nation’s community banks. Stories about the award recipients are featured in the September issue of ICBA's Independent Banker magazine.

The $830 million-asset bank earned distinction for its efforts to address food insecurity through the power of partnership, joining with a leading nonprofit food supplier in the region and incentivizing employees and customers to get involved. The initiative raised more than $39,000 in donations, funding more than 77,000 meals across Southwest Florida.

“This actually started with an employee’s idea and from there took root through our partnership with the Harry Chapin Food Bank,” said First Bank President and CEO Andrew Couse. “We added an interbranch competition to bring employees together and invited our customers to join in through a funds-matching initiative to make a meaningful difference.”

“First Bank exemplifies what it means to be a community partner,” says Richard LeBer, HCFB president. “Their fundraising campaign brought together employees, customers and local communities in a shared effort to fight hunger.”

Since the launch of the ICBA National Community Bank Service Awards program in 2002, hundreds of community banks have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to their communities. Bank technology services provider FIS, of Jacksonville, Fla., sponsored this year’s program.

“First Bank demonstrates the vital role community banks play as catalysts for local change,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “By mobilizing employees, customers and local partners around a shared goal, community banks like First Bank show the power of relationship banking to strengthen the place they call home.”

For more information about ICBA and the National Community Bank Service Awards, visit ICBA's website.

About First Bank

First Bank is an $830 million-asset community bank serving Southwest Florida, with seven locations across Hendry, Glades, Lee, Palm Beach, and Collier counties. Founded in 1922, we've spent more than a century providing personal, business, and commercial banking to the residents and businesses of the region.

As a locally focused bank, we're able to make decisions in the communities we serve and reinvest directly in their growth. Additional information can be found at first1bank.com.

Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.  

As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.

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