Citizens Community Bank keeps family ties 002

VALDOSTA — The Citizens Community Bank has undergone changes through the years, including a name a change, according to the bank’s history.

D.K. Hollis Sr. is credited to be a founding charter member in 1927 of a business known then as Citizens Bank, according to staff.

It was chartered in Morven on Feb. 12 and opened Feb. 21. The home office was relocated to Hahira and was named the Citizens Bank of Hahira while the Morven branch was the Citizens Bank of Morven, according to the bank’s history.

A merger took place sometime around 1982 which brought together the Morven location and the Hahira location to become the Citizens Community Bank “to reflect the bank’s growing presence within Lowndes and Brooks counties,” according to its history.

“Citizens Community Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of CCB Bancshares,” records note.

The bank had more than $138 million in assets as of Dec. 31, 2019, a jump from its assets total of more than $41,000 in 1927, said Glenn Copeland, chief executive officer.

“The asset that sets us apart from other local community banks is the relationships we have with customers going back five generations,” he said in a statement. “We also have employees and officers whose family members worked with the bank four generations ago.”

Citizens Community Bank has roots in being family-owned and operated as D.K. Hollis Sr.’s wife, Fredda Robinson Hollis, served on the bank’s board until she died in the 1980s, according to historical records.

D.K. Hollis Jr. became president and majority owner in 1960 after his dad passed, according to records.

He served 65 years, a period which also consisted of him being board chairman and the chief executive officer. He died in 2018, according to records.

Now, David K. Hollis III is the vice president and is on the board of directors for the Citizens Community Bank and CCB Bancshares, records note.

D.K. Hollis Sr.’s granddaughter, Starling Hollis Waldron, is the board chairman. She is also the chief financial officer.

She said the business is “a true family-owned bank that has survived over 90 years and still going strong.”

The bank currently has two branches in Valdosta, one in Morven and one in Hahira. Its headquarters is in Hahira in the Webb House.

Services offered are face-to-face teller transactions, same-day loan processing, a variety of deposit account opening and same-day debit card printing.

Others include individual retirement arrangements and in-house mortgages.

“In the last few years, we have expanded our digital presence with internet banking and mobile banking,” Waldron said. “Within these digital channels, we can offer bill pay, mobile deposits, transfers, text alerts and much more.”

There are an estimated 40 employees working for Citizens Community Bank, she said. “We value our customer relationships and still want to remain available and relevant to our customer’s financial needs,” Waldron said.

More information is online at citizenscommunitybank.net.