Cordele, Ga.-based Planters First Bank, a 125-year-old community bank with roots in agricultural banking, is growing to serve small- to middle-sized businesses in urban areas, with a focus on professional services firms and technology innovators. The bank was on its previous core system for 20 years and needed a more modern and flexible technology provider to remain competitive and grow with scale at the targeted rate of 10% per year. Jack Henry’s open infrastructure allows the $370-million asset bank to offer its customers the most competitive and future-ready features and functionalities through services such as the Banno Digital PlatformTM, with the option to also easily integrate with fintechs of choice.

Since introducing Jack Henry’s capabilities to their customers, Planters First Bank significantly improved productivity and efficiencies, without adding resources. It has enabled customers to do more business digitally while still being able to access personal assistance and support when needed. For example, jhaEnterprise Workflow™ has automated business processes by escalating customer requests to the approval group within minutes, rather than hours. Additionally, launching the Banno Digital Platform just before the COVID-19 pandemic enabled the bank to service the increased digital demands of their customers and integrate such services as Autobooks’ payments for small businesses. As a result, online banking adoption rates increased from 35% to 68%, while mobile deposits more than doubled.

Dan Duchnowski, Chief Banking Officer at Planters First Bank, commented, “We are a bank with a rich history of 125 years and deep roots in our local community, and we believe very strongly in using technology to remain competitive in the market. Even prior to the pandemic, we realized that to continue to meet our customers’ needs and help small- and medium-sized businesses thrive in our communities, we had to revamp our technology offering. We selected Jack Henry because they understand our mission, respect our history, and will help us grow organically. Moreover, Jack Henry’s products offer a fresh and easy user-interface that our customers love.”

Stacey Zengel, president of Jack Henry Banking, said, “At Jack Henry, our main driver is to help community banks like Planters First Bank meet the needs of today’s tech-savvy consumers and remain competitive in the market. Planters First Bank’s story is inspiring, as they saw an opportunity to continue to serve the local agricultural industry, while also scaling into metropolitan areas. We are proud to be a part of their legacy.”