Tribe’s Bank2 rebranded Chickasaw Community Bank
This article appeared in the February 2020 edition of the Chickasaw Times
OKLAHOMA CITY - Bank2 has helped small businesses, homeowners and community members build better lives for almost two decades. Now, Bank2 is changing its name to Chickasaw Community Bank to better reflect Chickasaw values and heritage.
Governor Bill Anoatubby led a Jan. 14 ceremony celebrating the new name.
“In its name and in its vision, Chickasaw Community Bank pays tribute to the culture and history of Chickasaw entrepreneurship,” Gov. Anoatubby said. “From extensive trade routes along the Mississippi River in our Homeland to new businesses in Indian Territory, commerce has long been seen as a way to improve the quality of life of our people.
“Today, our businesses remain an integral part of our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Chickasaw people. We also work to ensure business diversification and economic development include a focus on local communities, because we believe a rising tide should lift all ships.”
Bank CEO T.W. Shannon said the new brand, Chickasaw Community Bank, better reflected the bank’s purpose, “Building Better Lives for Everyone,” as well as its mission and community partnership initiatives.
“The Chickasaw Nation has always been about improving the quality of life of our community,” Mr. Shannon said. “As a community bank headquartered in Oklahoma City, this name change will reflect those values and the Bank’s commitment to our heritage and partnership initiatives.
“At Chickasaw Community Bank we are committed to building better lives for everyone, starting with our employees and customers. As a state-chartered community bank we offer banking products and service for all Oklahomans including commercial lending and home mortgages. We are the leader in the state for the HUD 184 Native American mortgages.”
Chickasaw Community Bank is wholly owned by the Chickasaw Nation. Opened in 2002, the bank’s assets have increased to more than $200 million since initial capital investment of $9 million. Serving the Native American community is a significant part of the bank’s mission, and the positive impact of that outreach extends throughout the community, the state and the country.
“The blessing of being a community banker is that we really do help people’s dreams come true,” Mr. Shannon said. “Whether we are helping Oklahomans start a business, or helping someone buy their first home, Chickasaw Community Bank is on the ground floor of the American dream.
“The impeccable reputation of our shareholder the Chickasaw Nation, and our leader Governor Anoatubby, are above reproach and it is important that our customers and community know that our bank is an extension of those values and character.”
While Bank2, now Chickasaw Community Bank, has been in operation less than two decades, the Chickasaw Nation involvement in the banking business began more than a century ago.
The Bank of the Chickasaw Nation was established in Indian Territory in the early 1900s in the historic Chickasaw Nation capitol city of Tishomingo.
Built on Main Street as a depository for all Chickasaw Nation funds, then-Chickasaw Nation Governor Robert Maxwell Harris served as the first bank president. Banking operations began with $25,000 in capital, which doubled in a few days. The two-story Romanesque granite structure was proclaimed “the handsomest, most complete, and the most secure bank in the two (Choctaw and Chickasaw) territories.”
Gov. Anoatubby said the Chickasaw Community Bank was an important part of the tribe’s diverse portfolio of more than 100 business holdings. Those holdings include, in addition to banking, manufacturing, energy, health care, media, technology, hospitality, retail and tourism. Today, the Chickasaw Nation supports more than 22,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in wages and benefits as part of a $3.7 billion annual economic contribution to the Oklahoma economy.
Business revenues provide the majority of funding for more than 200 tribal programs and services, such as health care, housing and education.
About Chickasaw Community Bank
Chickasaw Community Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chickasaw Bank Holding Company and is 100 percent owned by the Chickasaw Nation. The full-service institution has received numerous state and national recognitions because of its efforts in Native America, especially in the area of housing. The bank was ranked one of the “Top Ten Places to Work in Oklahoma” four consecutive years, listed in the top 15 percent of all U.S. banks in 2016, as well as awarded “Access to Capital” Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
About the Logo
The new Chickasaw Community Bank logo incorporates elements of Chickasaw symbolism, including the sun, which represents rebirth, light and warmth. Various shades of green were selected to suggest positive growth and new beginnings – not just for the company, but the company’s commitment to responsible growth for its customers and community.