First National Bank completes merger of Century Bank in Shenandoah

CRESTON – First National Bank in Creston has completed its merger of Century Bank in Shenandoah, Iowa, and with all the necessary regulatory approvals met, the bank will now be known as First National Bank and will continue to serve Shenandoah and the surrounding communities.

Randy Huewe, president of First National Bank, reminds customers and the community that the same staff that has always given great customer service in Shenandoah in the past have all been retained during this merger.   

“We’re beyond excited about completing this merger,” Huewe said. “The staff there, which we’ve gotten to know personally now, share our core values of commitment to you, our customers, and to exceeding your expectations. To our new customers, we want you to know we’re committed to making this continued transition as smooth as possible for you in the coming months. We feel privileged to have you as our customers and in expanding our presence to Shenandoah. We look forward to being a strong supporter in Shenandoah and the surrounding community.”

With this merger completed, the bank’s longtime president in Shenandoah, Greg Ritchey, will retire after 17 years with Century Bank. Greg will join the Board of Directors at First National Bank. Mike Bauer, the bank’s longtime senior vice president, will fill the role as president of the Shenandoah location.

“It is going to be very different coming to work every day without Greg here,” Bauer said. “Greg has played a significant role not only in the Bank but also in the community. He will be leaving very large shoes to fill. Both Greg and I are very proud of the journey we have taken Century Bank through the last 17 years.  We believe that our new First National family will allow the Bank to continue to grow and improve the products and services we can offer our customers.  Going forward, I am so excited to have the opportunity to continue to work with our great staff in providing our customers the quality of service they should expect.”   

First National Bank in Creston was chartered in 1871 and is a family-owned, full service community bank that specializes in commercial, ag and personal banking. First National Bank is part of Northwest Financial Corp. that is owned by brothers Neal and Dwight Conover and their families.

“This merger with Century Bank and Shenandoah is a great fit with our long term Strategic Plan,” Dwight Conover said. “We are community bankers. We could not be more pleased with how both banks work together, plus the benefits to our customers and communities.”   

Northwest Financial Corp. is a two bank, privately-owned financial services holding company.  

The banks include Northwest Bank of Spencer, Iowa and First National Bank in Creston. The two banks collectively hold close to $2.0 billion in assets and have 23 offices throughout western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.  Other entities within Northwest Financial Corp. include Northwest Wealth Management, LLC and Northwest Insurance Services. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.