Our Story

Our Mission

To enrich the lives of everyone we serve – one transaction, one relationship, one community at a time.

Moving forward together for more than a century.

Beginning in 1905 as First State Bank of Arthur, the community bank held customers’ trust above all else. It's directors and officers worked to retain that trust through sound management that maintained the bank’s financial strength. They guided the organization through one of the most difficult periods in the history of banking.

The banking crisis of the early 1930s threatened the security of many banks and their customers. In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared a national “bank holiday” that closed banks for a three-day cooling off period. Solvent banks reopened but many never recovered. However, the First State Bank of Arthur was one of the first banks in North Dakota to reopen after the Bank Holiday of 1933, with no restrictions on customer withdrawals. During that time and after, bank’s directors and officers made sure all demands were met and depositors never lost any money.

The organization has had tremendous growth since the mid-1970's through today. The key to success for BankNorth is values-based banking, which is the foundation on which it has grown over the last century. BankNorth’s directors and officers are as committed as the bank’s founders to serving our customers with honesty, loyalty and integrity, and to maintaining the organization’s financial strength through good times and bad.

BankNorth now has 11 branches, in Arthur, Buffalo, Casselton, Enderlin, Harwood, LaMoure, Lisbon, Marion and Oakes in North Dakota, and Aberdeen and Warner in South Dakota.

1905

First State Bank of Arthur is organized and issued to begin business as a community bank in Arthur, North Dakota. The bank served the needs of rural Cass County communities.

1999

The First State Bank of North Dakota purchased the deposits of First National Bank of North Dakota in Casselton.

2010

FSBND acquired four Cornerstone Bank branches, in Enderlin, Lisbon, Sheldon and Fort Ransom. In 2012, the Sheldon and Fort Ransom locations were closed.

2018

To reflect the new multi-state presence, First State Bank of North Dakota changed its name to BankNorth.

1992

The bank changed its name to First State Bank of North Dakota (FSBND). That same year, FSBND begins a period of expansion and purchases The First State Bank of Buffalo.

2002

FSBND purchased The First State Bank of LaMoure, which consisted of banks in Marion, Dickey, Oakes and LaMoure. Shortly after the purchase, the Dickey branch was closed.

2017

After more than a century of operating exclusively in North Dakota, FSBND acquired the First State Bank of Warner in South Dakota with branches in Warner and Aberdeen, SD.

2023

BankNorth acquired Harwood State Bank, a family-owned bank with a long history of supporting their customers and communities.