Peoples Bank & Trust Reports Best Year Ever At Annual Meeting

A Central Illinois based community bank is celebrating after what its leadership is calling its “best year on record,” and the numbers are there to back that claim. Peoples Bank & Trust, based out of Pana, operating under holding company ‘People First Bancshares Inc.,’ held their annual meeting earlier this week where President and CEO John Gardner laid out a year of growth across nearly all corners of the organization. From loans to deposits to net income, 2025 was a year of broad improvement for a bank that has quietly built itself into one of the more significant community banking operations in Central Illinois. In 2025, the bank grew its gross loan volume by $11 million to $424 million, increased deposits by $18 million to $498 million, and saw net income climb by $1.3 million to $9.5 million.

Gardner didn’t shy away from using strong words when wrapping up his report to the shareholders and directors in attendance, saying flat out that 2025 was truly Peoples Bank & Trust’s best year yet. For a bank with thirteen locations stretching from Springfield to Charleston and further, that’s no small statement.

Gardner was quick to point out that the financial growth didn’t come at the expense of the communities the bank serves. Bank employees and directors logged more than 6,500 hours of volunteer community service in 2025, generated 41 new ‘SBA’ or ‘USDA’ guaranteed loans, and maintained a customer service rating of “Good” or “Excellent” from 95.8% of their customers that were surveyed.

On the operational side, the bank rolled out a series of upgrades in 2025 including improvements to its ATM Plus Network at several drive-up banking locations. Gardner said the upgrades are the first step in a longer-term plan to modernize branch services, and the results have already proved significant. These changes allow for 30% more lobby service hours and up to 39% more drive-up service hours without any additional staffing costs. On top of this, it frees up employees to spend more time with customers.

At the annual meeting, Brad Davis, Josh Shallenberger, and Kelly Evans were re-elected to three-year terms on the board. Brad Davis was also re-elected Chairman of the Board, with Christopher Swing returning as the bank’s Vice Chairman.

Peoples Bank & Trust operates thirteen locations across Central Illinois, including offices in: Charleston, Tuscola, Arthur, Arcola, Altamont, Taylorville, Springfield, and several other towns across our listening area. To learn more, visit www.bankpbt.com or call 888-728-1954.