Coralville bank part of name change

After years of operating banks in Coralville and eight other communities under four separate names, Central Bancshares of Muscatine is bringing everything under a single name and brand.

The bank holding company will change the name of its largest operating unit, Central State Bank, to CBI Bank & Trust this fall.

The banks operate as Central State Bank in Muscatine and Wilton, Freedom Security Bank in Coralville and Kalona, West Chester Savings Bank in Washington, Iowa, and Buffalo Prairie State Bank in Buffalo Prairie, Ill.

Freedom Security Bank and West Chester Savings Bank had been subsidiaries of Central Bancshares since 1994, and have operated as offices of Central State Bank since their merger in 2013.

Buffalo Prairie State Bank has operated as an office of Central State Bank since it was acquired earlier this year.

Greg Kistler, president and CEO of Central Bancshares, said in a news release that the time has come to bring everything together under a single name across all of the markets.

'Our intention is to make it easier for our customers and the general public to identify us,” Kistler said.

F&M Bank in Galesburg, Ill., will continue to operate under its existing name and will not be included the name and branding change. Privately-owned Central Bancshares, with assets of $793 million, serves more than 30,000 households and businesses in east central Iowa and west central Illinois.