First Citizens Community Bank

First Citizens Community Bank, commonly abbreviated FCCB, operates a branch at 7635 Lancaster Ave in Mount Aetna, Pennsylvania, serving the Tulpehocken Township area of western Berks County and the surrounding farm communities near the Lebanon County line. The office is part of a regional community bank headquartered in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, which is the banking subsidiary of Citizens Financial Services, Inc., a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol CZFS. The bank maintains locations across four states: Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware.

History

The institution traces its origins to the Ross and Williams Bank, which opened in Mansfield in 1872. In 1932, the bank was sold to a group of local citizens, establishing the community-owned charter under which it still operates. Expansion beyond its northern Pennsylvania base began in earnest in 2006 with an office in Wellsville, New York, and continued through a series of acquisitions. The 2015 purchase of Fredericksburg National Bank brought FCCB into the Lebanon and Berks County region, including the Mount Aetna area. Later additions included an S&T Bank branch in State College in 2017, MidCoast Community Bank in Delaware in 2020 and Huntingdon Valley Bank in 2023, followed by a new Williamsport office in 2024.

Personal Banking

The Mount Aetna branch handles the full range of consumer deposit and lending products. Personal checking is available in several comparable everyday formats, including a Rewards Checking account positioned for customers who want their balances working harder. Personal savings accounts are built around specific financial milestones, and deposit rates are published by county across the bank's four-state footprint, so customers in Berks County see terms that apply to their own market rather than a single national figure.

On the lending side, FCCB originates residential mortgages through licensed NMLS loan officers, with dedicated mortgage divisions based in Huntingdon Valley and Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Prequalification can be started online. Home equity loans and home equity lines of credit are also available for homeowners borrowing against accumulated value, a common funding source for kitchen remodels, basement finishing and other substantial renovation work. A HELOC calculator is provided to help borrowers model payments before applying.

Business and Commercial Services

Business checking accounts are structured to simplify cash flow for small businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations, while interest-bearing business savings accounts give companies a place to hold idle operating funds. Commercial lending is handled on a relationship basis, covering construction and building projects as well as shorter-term working capital needs. Lending leadership is organized by region, including Northcentral Pennsylvania, Southcentral Pennsylvania and Delaware, with an additional Philadelphia Business Banking Division and a loan production office in Winfield.

Cash management services are supported by sales associates stationed in Wilmington, Delaware, Fredericksburg and State College, Pennsylvania, and Doylestown, Pennsylvania. These services focus on time savings, cash flow visibility and fraud protection for operating accounts. Merchant services, including payment acceptance solutions for small businesses, municipalities and nonprofits, are managed by a dedicated merchant services advisor.

Agricultural Lending

Agricultural credit is one of the areas that distinguishes FCCB from many banks of similar size, and it is particularly relevant to the farm country surrounding Mount Aetna. The bank maintains a specialized agricultural lending team whose members collectively hold hundreds of years of experience as both working farmers and agricultural bankers, and the bank's chief executive continues to raise dairy cattle. Regional ag teams cover North Central, Central and South Central Pennsylvania as well as Georgetown, Delaware. The FFIEC ranked FCCB among the top agriculture lenders in 2017. Practical touches include completing paperwork during on-farm visits and picking up deposits, arrangements that accommodate producers who cannot easily leave the operation during banking hours.

Digital and Remote Banking

FCCB supports a range of self-service channels for customers who prefer to bank outside branch hours.

• NetTeller online banking with free around-the-clock access to balances, transfers, check reorders and a customizable dashboard, plus bill pay with recurring payments, e-bills, gift payments, a payment calendar and person-to-person payments sent by email or text.
• Email and text alerts that notify customers when a balance reaches a set threshold or when a check clears.
• The free FCCB mobile banking app for iOS and Android, with Touch ID login, customizable quick links, transaction tagging, notes and receipt photos, loan payments and a branch and ATM locator. NetTeller registration is required first.
• Mobile deposit, which lets customers deposit checks by photo through the encrypted app. Deposits submitted before the daily cutoff receive same-day credit. Eligibility requires an account open for a minimum period with a limited overdraft history, and standard daily and monthly deposit limits apply.
• Card Suite Lite, a free card control app that can freeze a misplaced FCCB debit card with a single tap, set geographic and spending limits, send per-transaction alerts and display merchant logos for easier identification of recurring charges.
• eStatements for checking and savings accounts, delivered with a personal security phrase in the email subject line so recipients can verify the message is genuine. Statement history is retained for a set period after enrollment.
• Mobile wallet support, allowing the FCCB MasterCard Debit Card to be loaded into Apple Wallet or Samsung Pay on phones, tablets and smartwatches. The virtual card carries its own number, separate from the physical card.
• Telephone banking, available free at (888) 457-3262 using touch-tone or voice commands for balances, transaction history, transfers and loan payments, and for reporting a lost or stolen FCCB debit or credit card. A PIN is required.

Wealth Management

Investment and trust services are delivered through the bank's Wealth Management Division, staffed by a dedicated team that works with customers on investment accounts, trust administration and related planning needs.

Community Programs

FCCB Academy is a free online financial wellness platform hosted with Banzai, offering virtual coaching and educational modules for customers and non-customers alike. The bank also provides accredited financial literacy curriculums to schools throughout its service area. Three annual scholarship programs are administered with an April 15 deadline: an award for employees and their dependents, a customer scholarship for longer-term customers entering a four-year program, and an agricultural scholarship for graduating seniors pursuing agriculture-related study. Charitable giving over recent years has been directed toward education, youth programs, health care, agriculture and community development.

Visiting the Mount Aetna Branch

The branch is located on Lancaster Avenue in Mount Aetna, a short drive from Bethel, Rehrersburg and the Myerstown area, with convenient access for residents and farm operators in western Berks County. Customers can open deposit accounts, discuss loan options, enroll in digital services and handle routine teller transactions at this location.