Bank First National was founded in 1894 with a capitalization of $50,000. At that time, the bank was known as the Bank of Manitowoc and was located at the southwest corner of York and Eighth Streets. In 1927, the bank moved into the Manitowoc Hotel Building. The bank grew steadily throughout the years and had reached $13 million in assets by 1962. In 1974, Bank First National moved to its present facility at 402 North 8th Street. Today, Bank First has a total of 12 office locations.
In late 2009, the bank reviewed its geographical footprint and discovered overlapping market coverage. Therefore, the decision was made to close the Newton, New Holstein, and downtown Plymouth offices and transition customer accounts to nearby locations. In September of 2011, the Bank consolidated the Expo Drive and Custer Street locations, closing Expo Drive office.
Today, Bank First remains one of the few independent community banks left in the area. The bank has experienced steady growth for the past several years. Assets as of December 31, 2012, exceeded $1.0 billion. Total employment at Bank First is approximately 166 FTE individuals.
