First National Bank of Raymond, Virden Banking Center!

By Cindy Ladage

The First National Bank of Raymond -Virden banking center’s building was built in 1964. Located on the southwest corner of the Virden Square at 103 S. Springfield St, the bank started out as the State Bank of Virden, according to LuAnn Ribley, Senior Teller.  It remained State Bank of Virden although it had been acquired by Raymond Bancorp Inc in 1988. It merged with  the First National Bank of Raymond in 1993 and became First National Bank of Raymond’s Virden Banking Center. The bank is easy to spot with its nice bright green sign!

Joan Heggy, the Branch Operations Manager has been in banking for 41 years, and with the First National Bank for the past 25 years.  LuAnn said that she has been at the bank for 24 years adding, “Virden employees have over 100 years combined experience.”

Another long term First National Bank employee is loan officer Bill Buske.  He has 41 years of banking experience and has been with FNB for 24 years.  He now works part time two days a week. Most employees at the Virden branch are local residents from Virden and surrounding towns. 

Bank history

The history of the First National Bank is quite interesting with deep roots.  The First National Bank of Raymond dates to 1903. Virden is one of five branches of the First National Bank of Raymond. The main bank is in Raymond, Illinois. 

The main bank in Raymond has changed over time.  Originally the First National Bank the building changed and expanded in 1922 when they built a larger building.  Then, in 1928 the First National Bank purchased the Raymond State Bank, which was the first bank in Raymond established in 1881 by John Green.  It was located where Sorrells Farm Supply sits today. This purchase changed the name to the First National Bank of Raymond!

By 1970, the bank location in Raymond moved to the 403 East Broad Street, and in 1988, they had acquired the State Bank of Virden.   In 1989, the State Bank of Girard joined the branches, and in 1992 Pawnee was established.   In 1993, the State Bank of Girard and the State Bank of Virden were consolidated into FNB of Raymond.  In 1994, the Morrisonville Banking Center was established, and in 1994, the Girard branch moved to a new location on Route 4. This established the current five branches.

Bank Services

The Virden Branch of the First National Bank of Raymond offers a variety of services.  All branches of FNB Raymond offer checking and saving options for all ages. They also offer Certificate of Deposits, IRA’s and safety deposit boxes.  For the senior customers they offer an elite checking account. For students under the age of 25 there is a student checking. For their youngest customers FNB offers a sprout CD which can be opened with $25 and may be added to at any time in amounts of $25 or more. First National Bank of Raymond’s Virden Banking Center also offer notary service and license stickers for vehicles.  The First National Bank of Raymond is FDIC insured.

Debit cards are offered with each checking account along with the free services of Online Banking and Online Bill Pay. New to FNB’s services in 2022 are Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

FNB Loan Services include personal, auto, home, agriculture, business, municipal loans, and a home equity line of credit.

Part of the Virden community

Being in the Virden Community, the First National Bank of Virden is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and they are involved in the local community. They take part in the Halloween Trunk or Treat, work at filling the Food Pantry at Christmas, have a college scholarship and donate to local projects like the Easter Egg Hunt, Sports Programs, and the local Queen Pageant to name a few.  Overall, FNB’s five branches are involved with about 45 different community organizations in our local communities.

Keeping customers safe

Today, with a lot of scams around, the staff at the First National Bank, Virden Banking Center are there to help! Any time a customer has a question about something they should feel free to bring it to a bank staff member and they will be glad to go over it with you. There are a lot of scammers out there these days ready to try to separate customers from their hard-earned money.  Many scammers act like they are the government or a tech company.  They may say there is a problem or that you won a prize.  They often want you to act immediately.  They want you to pay something or give out information you don’t normally give, such as account number or social security number. Bank employees see incidents, like the sweetheart scam, where people are seeking friendship on the internet and a scammer hones in on them and shows a lot of attention – all to ask for money for helping them come see them, get married, help them bring their child home, etc. Then the person sends the cash, and they never hear from them again once they have the money.  Both men and women can be taken in by these scammers. 

Sadly, this is just one of the scams out there.  “We are diligent, if we see unusual activity, we contact our customers,” Joan added.

Another scam they see is a mail scam where a customer receives a check with a letter telling them to deposit or cash the check and send a portion of the money on to someone or to purchase gift cards and send them. Often, they say to not tell your banker. This is a red flag that it is not legitimate. If you receive something along these lines talk to your banker.  “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is,” LuAnn said. Scammers are well versed in appearing legit, but luckily, the First National Bank is there to help their customers navigate their way through the difficult maze and protect their finances along the way.

Contact information

For more information about the Virden Branch, log onto www.fnbraymond.com or call 217-965-3344 for details.