Special History:

Citizens has a unique notoriety as being one of the banks John Dillinger robbed in 1933. History has it that on August 14, 1933, John Dillinger and his gang came to Bluffton, stole $6,000 from The Citizens National Bank, and exited the bank, guns blazing (amazingly no one was injured) as they made their escape to the north. In October of that year, John Dillinger was brought back to Ohio and held in the Lima jail (12 miles south of Bluffton) to stand trial for the Bluffton bank robbery. On October 12, Dillinger's "gang" came into the jail claiming they were officers from Indiana and they were taking Dillinger back to stand trial there. When Sheriff Jesse Sarber asked for their credentials, they opened fire on Sarber, killing him and breaking Dillinger out of jail. Dillinger was one of the most publicized criminals of the 20th Century. On July 22, 1934, however, Dillinger was brought down by "The Lady in Red" when he was killed by federal agents and police as he left a Chicago movie house.

"The people of West Central Ohio have been very loyal to our bank through the years. As we have grown and added services, more individuals and businesses have also come to appreciate the advantages our personal attention provides. I continue to believe that we are on the leading edge of banking technology in our region, and that means better service and greater access for our customers."

-J. Michael Romey, President/CEO

History

On January 31, 1920, the Citizens National Bank opened its doors for the first time in Bluffton, Ohio, and offered all new customers an apple in appreciation for stopping by. A review of the books from 1920 indicates that the bank began with $50,000 in capital and approximately four employees. Now, 91 years later, we have expanded our offices to Lima, Elida, Van Wert, Celina, Findlay, Springfield and now Defiance. We currently employ about 145 people and serve customers in ten primary counties: Allen, Hancock, Putnam, Hardin, Auglaize, Mercer, Van Wert, Paulding, Clark and Defiance.

Growth

Citizens continues to experience consistent growth. We've recently opened a new loan production office in Defiance, OH, enlarging our market area and continuing our focus on agricultural and commercial lending. In fact, we're now one of the top agricultural lenders in the state of Ohio. Our internet-only branch, cnbbankdirect.com, also offers a way for us to reach depositors across the country, through both savings and CD products. In the last 5 years our total assets have grown from $400 million to more than $565 million. This success is due to the confidence our customers have in our ability to provide them innovative products and solid performance.

We continue to focus on our website and social media, providing more content and frequent updates about our services through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. We've improved our bill payment product for both personal and business use over the past year, making it easier to pay all your bills from one website. We've also enhanced communication with our customers through quarterly email newsletters, a web video series and the ability to set up email account reminders through CNB Messenger.

Ratings

Citizens National Bank is consistently rated high for performance and stability. We are currently rated a 4 Star Bank by Bauer Financial and a 3 Star Bank by Bankrate.com.