Recognizing the 175th Anniversary of First Bank of Alabama

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 175th Anniversary of First Bank of Alabama.

The City of Talladega was incorporated in 1835 and as it began to grow and thrive, Major James Isbell opened a banking business in 1848. Through the Civil War and reconstruction, the bank stayed open and in 1893 applied for and received a National Bank Charter. The name of the bank was officially changed to The Isbell National Bank of Talladega.

In 1963, after almost 100 years in the ``old bank'' building, Isbell National Bank moved to a new location on North Street East.

In 1968, the Talladega Superspeedway officially opened. The following year, the bank opened a full service branch in Lincoln, Alabama. In 1988, another branch was opened in Munford, Alabama.

In 2015, The First National Bank of Talladega Board of Directors voted to make the bank a state-chartered bank and adopt the new name, First Bank of Alabama. In 2017, First Bank acquired Bank of Wedowee and expanded their presence into Randolph County. The following year, First Bank opened their seventh office in Clay County and in 2020 an office in Calhoun County.

In 2021, SouthFirst acquisition was finalized, and the bank added 2 more offices in Sylacauga and expanded into Chilton County. In 2022, two offices were added in Cleburne County.

On February 14, 2023, the Annual Shareholder meeting will be held at the Talladega office to celebrate the anniversary of the bank. First Bank is Alabama's oldest, continuously operated bank in the State of Alabama, third oldest in the Southeast and 36th oldest in the country. The bank is led by Talladega native, J. Chad Jones, the bank's 13th President and CEO.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing this milestone for my friends at First Bank of Alabama and wishing them a happy 175th anniversary.

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