A History of Eastern Michigan Bank
Welcome to Eastern Michigan Bank, a community bank with a long and vibrant history spanning three centuries.
1895: On December 4, 1895, the State of Michigan granted a charter to the State Bank of Croswell (SBC), the bank that is today, Eastern Michigan Bank. Our first president was a woman named Julia H. Mills.
1910: SBC built a new building in the center of Croswell that stands today and houses Eastern Michigan Bank’s administrative offices and deposit operations.
1935: Despite the stock market crash, SBC reached its first million dollars in assets.
1961: SBC opened a branch in Lexington.
1971: SBC opened a branch in Lakeport.
1978: SBC opened another branch in Croswell on Peck Road, offering drive-thru service and a second building to house our accounting, bookkeeping, and human resources staff.
1984: SBC formed the holding company Eastern Michigan Financial Corporation (EMFC).
1985: Purchased an old print shop across the street from the current Administrative Offices in Croswell and remodeled it into our present-day Loan Center.
1987: EMFC purchased Sanilac County Bank and added offices in Deckerville and Sandusky to the existing branch network. This made EMFC a two-bank holding company for the State Bank of Croswell and Sanilac County Bank.
1990: SBC purchased a branch on Water Street in Port Huron from First Federal Savings Bank Trust, further expanding our footprint in St. Clair County.
1991: SBC opened a branch in Minden City.
1992: Sanilac County Bank merged into the State Bank of Croswell, and the new entity's name was changed to Eastern Michigan Bank (EMB).
2002: EMB built a new branch in Fort Gratiot at 3061 Krafft Road.
2005: EMB launched our first website and began offering online banking.
2006: EMB built a new branch in Marysville at 2970 Gratiot Boulevard.
2014: Purchased the former Talmer Bank branch at 37 N. Howard Avenue in Croswell, and consolidated drive-thru service from Peck Road and the branch service from 65 N. Howard into one location. Freeing up the space formerly occupied by the branch at 65 N. Howard enabled human resources, accounting, and deposit operations to be consolidated into one location as well.
2016: Purchased the single location Ruth State Bank in the spring and opened under the Eastern Michigan Bank name in June; in August, Minden City and Ruth relationships were consolidated into Ruth, and the Minden City office was closed.
2023: Opened an office on the first floor of the historic Parfet building at 1430 Military Street in downtown Port Huron. This new location enabled EMB to consolidate loan operations in St. Clair County by providing space for loan officers and support staff to work under one roof. A well-known local landmark, the Parfet building was constructed in 1921 to house the Albert Parfet Ford dealership.
Today: What began in 1895 with a single location has grown to ten branches serving three counties, providing a full range of business and personal banking services.
EMB customers include business owners, farmers, schools, associations, churches, non-profit organizations, government entities, and of course, individuals.
EMB currently employs more than 80 local residents in the Sanilac, St. Clair and Huron County communities of Croswell, Deckerville, Fort Gratiot, Lakeport, Lexington, Marysville, Port Huron, Ruth and Sandusky. Our board of directors is comprised of local residents as well, representing their individual communities.
As a community bank, we take great pride in the fact that we’ve maintained our local connection through world wars, the Great Depression and numerous other challenges, economic and otherwise. Despite notable changes to the banking industry around us, our dedication to our mission and values continues to stand the test of time.
Mission Statement
To continue as a progressive and growing community bank, serving our communities by offering a wide range of competitive services for our customers, resulting in a profitable organization, enabling us to build capital, pay appropriate dividends to our stockholders and competitive salaries to our employees.
Core Values
At Eastern Michigan Bank, we take great pride in being a community bank. At the center of our value system is our core commitment to provide value driven products and courteous service delivered by a caring and professional staff. After all, we’re not just in the “banking business,” we’re in the business of financing people’s lives and dreams - a responsibility we don’t take lightly.
Our Promise
We promise our customers they can rely on us to listen to their needs and try to provide solutions. We also promise to always practice discretion and tact when it comes to personal or professional financial issues and to treat our customers with respect, dignity and integrity, all while doing our best to help them reach their financial goals.