Member News

(Photo Caption: Rovito)

“What’s really important for people to understand is that we’re a true community bank,” stated Jim Rovito, SVP and president of the south central region for First Citizens Community Bank. “This isn’t the case of a big bank coming in. It’s a merger of community banks coming together.”

First Citizens Community Bank, which is based in Mansfield, PA, acquired the First National Bank of Fredericksburg in December 2015, and has seamlessly picked up where First National Bank left off catering to and serving the residents of Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties. Eighteen of the bank’s branches are located in the northern part of the state, while seven are found in the South Central PA region: one branch in Fredericksburg, three branches in Lebanon, one in Mt. Aetna, one in Friedensburg, and one in Schuylkill Haven. Originally founded in 1872, the bank has had a long history of providing consistency and superior customer service to its customers.

“First Citizens is recognized as one of the top performing community banks in the country, and the top in PA,” Rovito said.

Previously a regional manager of the Lancaster/Cumberland territory with Metro Bank, Rovito joined the First Citizens team in October of 2015. After settling into his new role and getting to know his employees, Rovito said that he is very happy with how the merger went and how smooth the transition truly was. All branches and a high percentage of their respective employee base remained in place, contributing to the easy merger. Rovito attributes this to the familiarity and relationships between the employees and their customers which were sustained through the acquisition.

Though Rovito may be new to First Citizens Community Bank, he is a veteran in the banking world, working in the field in the Central Pennsylvania area for over 25 years. Given his expansive experience in the banking industry, Rovito sang his praises for First Citizens Community Bank and the values surrounding the organization.

Rovito explained that First Citizens’ foundation is based on four main pillars: consistently exceeding customer expectations, employing the best and the brightest, delivering superior shareholder value, and exhibiting social responsibility and good citizenship. First Citizens’ investment in the local community is what Rovito believes truly shows its community-based mindset.

“We’re very proud of the participation of employees contributing to the community,” Rovito said.

First Citizens has approximately 50 employees in its South Central PA branches. Employees of the bank are encouraged to give back to the community through monetary and/or volunteer contributions. First Citizens supports its employees throughout their endeavors. Over the last five years, First Citizens itself has contributed over $1 million to education, youth, health care, agriculture and community development. A few of the many organizations which First Citizens supports include the United Way of Lebanon County, the Lebanon Rescue Mission, the Special Olympics, and the Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center.

Rovito explained that there are other benefits to being a community bank in addition to being able to be so closely involved in the community.

“We have the ability to make decisions locally, giving people the opportunity to interact and work with local employees who can make decisions and understand the community better than someone outside the area,” Rovito explained.

While First Citizens continues to provide the same services to its customers as First National Bank of Fredericksburg, they are also looking to provide additional products and services which were not available in the past, allowing them to deliver more to their customers. These additional services will include additional lending/credit capacities, and other products which are being developed.

As First Citizens moves forward through its transition, Rovito is excited about what the future will bring.

“We’re very excited about being a key partner with the Chamber, and being involved with the Chamber and what it does in our area,” Rovito said. “We’re looking forward to being part of the [Chamber’s] 100th year along with everyone involved.”

Anyone interested in learning more about First Citizens Community Bank, the services that they offer, or their various branch locations, can visit www.firstcitizensbank.com.