HOMEBANK employees have donated $5,700 plus a variety of toys and blankets to Shriners Children’s, the century-old healthcare system devoted to providing high-quality specialty medical care to children and families regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status. Diane Johnson from the Office of Philanthropy for Shriners Children’s of St. Louis was in Palmyra Nov. 12 to accept the check and gifts.

For several years, HOMEBANK employees have raised funds internally for charitable organizations. Past recipients have included the Tri-State Honor Flight, local food pantries, St. Jude, and Wounded Warriors, among others. Funds are raised through cookouts, raffles, contests and other activities throughout the year. In all, employees have raised more than $62,000 since 2018.

HOMEBANK has promoted Becky Scheufele of Quincy to Vice President, Danielle Foster of Hannibal to Assistant Vice President and Danielle Funkenbusch of Palmyra to Assistant Vice President. Gabe Maynard of Mendon, IL, has been granted lending authority.

Scheufele, NMLS #1791609 a mortgage loan officer, has been with HOMEBANK for more than 13 years. In addition to her current responsibilities, as Vice President, she will now also serve as a sales staff trainer for all branches, teaching staff about mortgage products, processes, and software, educating lenders on available mortgage programs and helping to coordinate marketing efforts.

Funkenbusch started at HOMEBANK in 2017 and will continue her role as loan processing supervisor in Palmyra. With the promotion to Assistant Vice President, Funkenbusch, NMLS #2659181, has also been granted lending authority and will focus on consumer and mortgage loans.

As Assistant Vice President, Foster, NMLS #2573579, also has lending authority and will primarily focus on consumer and mortgage loans in addition to her current responsibilities as lending assistant and business banker in Hannibal. Foster started at HOMEBANK in 2016.

Maynard served summer internships with HOMEBANK in 2022 and 2023 and began full-time after graduating with a Master’s Degree from Murray State University earlier this year. Maynard, NMLS #2659159, will focus on ag lending.

HOMEBANK, Member FDIC, NMLS #450000, has branches in Palmyra, Canton, Hannibal, Bowling Green, Centralia, Mexico, and Lake Saint Louis, MO, and two branches in Quincy, IL.

HOMEBANK is celebrating its 90th anniversary at the end of June with cookout on Thursday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 400 S. Main Street. The public is invited to the free event, which will include lunch, entertainment, and prizes. No reservations are required.

HOMEBANK was founded on June 25, 1934, as Palmyra State Bank. The opening followed 18 months during which the residents of Palmyra had no bank. The stock market crash of 1929 and the run on banks in 1930 had forced the closing of the last two banks (Bank of Palmyra and First Savings Bank) in town.

Thanks to the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce, an announcement was made in March 1934 that a sale of stock for a new bank was in progress. Dislocated Palmyra banker Albert Juette raised shares from local investors at $125 each (nearly $3,000 in 2024 money). In all, more than 40 investors purchased 250 shares.

The new bank purchased the old Bank of Palmyra building, and doors opened on June 25, 1934. During the first day of business, the bank received $15,000 in deposits and five months later, deposits had reached $195,000. On more than one occasion, it was reported that residents had brought money in jars that had been buried in their back yards.

In 1959, controlling interest in the bank was sold to Byron B. Webb of St. Louis. A retired car dealership owner, Webb was living in California and the sale was transacted over the phone, sight unseen. A few months later, Webb visited the now $6-million bank and chose to make Palmyra his home.

By 1980, Palmyra State Bank needed a new home. A branch had opened in West Quincy, MO in 1977, assets had grown to nearly $28 million, and employees totaled nearly 30. A colonial-style red brick structure was built on the former site of the well-remembered Savoy building, and the former building was donated to the City of Palmyra for use as a library.

Today, the building at 400 S. Main Street serves as HOMEBANK’s flagship branch and corporate headquarters. The organization boasts of 130 employees and nine branches in Palmyra, Canton, Hannibal, Bowling Green, Centralia, Mexico, Lake Saint Louis and two in Quincy, IL, and assets total more than $600 million. Joe Thomas of Palmyra serves as the organization’s Chairman of the Board and CEO.

HOMEBANK’s beautiful new facility at 3000 East Pitman Avenue is now open in Lake Saint Louis! The bank formerly was located across the street at 2183 West Terra Lane.

The new branch opened on Nov. 13 as a full-service community bank, offering commercial, home, and personal loans plus checking and savings accounts, Money Market accounts, IRAs, and Health Savings accounts. Tej Ghosh is the Community Bank President, Kailee Saxbery is Vice President of Retail Operations and Jennifer Begley is the Business Banking Officer for the branch. Cat Arnold and Keaunna Flesner serve as Customer Service Representatives, and Andrew Liesen is the credit analyst.

New features of this branch include an Interactive Teller Machine in the drive-up that accepts deposits in addition to dispersing cash, accepts loan payments and can connect to a live teller for other transactions…without ever leaving your car! A Smart Locker system allows customers to securely pick up and drop off paperwork after business hours in the vestibule of the building, and a dedicated office features an inhouse video system through which customers can meet with HOMEBANK specialists who reside in other communities.

The Lake Saint Louis branch is HOMEBANK’s ninth facility. Headquartered in Palmyra, MO, HOMEBANK also has branches in Mexico, Centralia, Hannibal, Canton, and Bowling Green, MO and two branches in Quincy IL. The bank was founded in 1934. Interested persons can request an appointment with a lender or apply for an account or a loan at www.myhomebank.bank or call 636-385-7165 for more information.

HOMEBANK, member FDIC and equal housing lender.

Independent Community Bankers of America, a national association that has represented community banks of all sizes and types since 1930, has named HOMEBANK one of the top 20 ag lending institutions for 2023. The article announcing the winners can be found at www.icba.org.

Using FDIC data for 2022, the ICBA calculated a lender score for each community bank. The score combines the average of the bank’s percentile rank for lending concentration and for loan growth over the past year. They then adjusted each score for loan charge-offs at certain percentile thresholds.

HOMEBANK was listed at number 15 among banks with assets of $300 million to $1 billion.

“As a community bank, we strive to make strategic lending decisions with the goal of helping our ag customers not only survive but thrive in all economic cycles,” says Angie Poppe, chief lending officer at HOMEBANK.

Like other top banks on the list, HOMEBANK focuses on strong relationship banking and lenders who understand the agricultural community because they have farming backgrounds.

“Farmers are business owners,” continues Poppe. “Our lenders partner with farmers and look at their entire operation to help them analyze current financials and cash flow, so they know when the time is right to expand or improve their operation.”

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