About UsOur History

Established in 1856 by the Castle family, the Castle Bank heritage makes us one of Illinois' most historic financial institutions. In fact, a member of the Castle family has served on the board of directors since the bank was founded. Our long-standing reputation for service quality has served the bank and our customers well for over 150 years.

Castle Bank was founded in Sandwich, Illinois by Miles B. Castle, who opened a bank and a lumberyard, operating both until his death in 1900.

In 1919, Castle's bank joined the Illinois state banking system and officially became The Sandwich State Bank. The Sandwich State Bank shareholders later formed a bank holding company, Sandwich Banco, Inc, when they acquired the stock of First National Bank in DeKalb in 1984.

Growth continued in the early 90's when Sandwich Banco purchased First State Bank of Harvard and The Bank of Yorkville. In 1999, all of the holding company's banks consolidated under one name, Castle Bank.

In 2002, Castle Bank joined the family of banks owned by First National of Nebraska, Inc. With over $17 billion in assets and multiple banking locations in the Midwest, First National of Nebraska is the largest privately-owned banking company in the United States, as well as one of the largest family-owned holding companies.

In 2010, Castle Bank became a division of First National Bank of Omaha, a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. Much like the Castle story, First National Bank of Omaha has roots dating back to 1857 and is in its sixth generation of family ownership. In addition to sharing a rich history, our banks also share in the philosophy of putting our customers first and building strong communities.

The decision to consolidate the banks allows us to be a stronger and more diversified banking company – leveraging our combined strength to serve our customers and communities. Our common history and culture has led to a successful blend of sophisticated products and personalized service from the local management team and employees that continue to serve you.