Summit Bank of Kansas City merged with and into Citizens Bank & Trust in August, 2019. The merger will significantly expand the bank’s products, services, and local presence.
Citizens Bank & Trust was founded in Chillicothe, MO in 1889, and is now headquartered in Kansas City, MO with banking offices throughout Northwest Missouri and Leawood, KS. Former Summit Bank President and now Citizens Bank Executive Vice President Rick Viar said he recognized early that Citizens Bank & Trust strongly embodies the same values as Summit Bank of Kansas City.
“When we weighed all of the pluses and minuses of a potential partnership with CB&T, this merger was an excellent strategic fit for our bank and shareholders.” said Viar. “Roger Arwood, CB&T CEO, has ideally positioned his team for strong, controlled, safe growth. We liked that.”
Before the merger, Summit Bank of Kansas City was a $50 million institution. With Citizens Bank & Trust’s substantial size and regional footprint, there are many new opportunities for local customers including trust services, wealth management, expansion of its SBA lending, and treasury management services.
The bank has also increased its lending capacity allowing it to serve larger businesses than it could prior to the merger.
“We are now here to compete,” said Viar.
Senior Vice President Rob Binney said that despite the greater size of Citizens Bank & Trust, it feels like a comfortable community bank. Binney said Summit Bank could not have found a better match.
“Part of what the SBKC team had built over the years is a personal, local culture,” said Binney. “When we joined the Citizens group and quickly realized they are also deeply involved in their communities, we knew it was a good fit for us.”
Viar said that he is confident the merger with Citizens Bank will enable his local team to better serve existing customers and easily accommodate new business.
“I’m very pleased we agreed to move forward with Citizens’ great team,” said Viar. “I cannot imagine going in a different direction.”