About Us

President's Message

Welcome to First Nations Bank and Bank of Bourbonnais!

First Nations Bank and Bank of Bourbonnais are happy to celebrate their 48th and 50th years in business, respectfully, and I am proud to celebrate my 51st year in banking. We’ve been right here growing with the community and its residents who have put their trust in us for all these years. First Nations Bank, formerly known as the First National Bank of Wheaton, was acquired by our group of investors in 1991. At that time, the bank’s assets were lingering at the $9 million mark. We made customer service our first priority, expanded the bank’s product lines, and further grew by branching to the northwest side of Chicago. Unlike larger money-center banks which garner deposits from the community, we reinvest those monies back into the community we serve.

In 1993, our holding company acquired Bank of Bourbonnais.  This acquisition allowed us to double the amount of FDIC insurance to our customers. First Nations Bank and Bank of Bourbonnais are sister banks maintaining separate charters. Accounts can be opened and held respectively at each other’s facility, benefiting from the aggregate FDIC insurance. Through our commitment to the community, our banks’ have grown in excess of $600 million today.  

Throughout the years we have established three full service branches for First Nations Bank, two located in Chicago and one in the southwest suburb of Wheaton IL. Bank of Bourbonnais has a full service facility in Bourbonnais IL.  Our wholly owned subsidiaries are Nations Wealth Management and Financial Services, Inc. and First Nations Tax Deferred Exchange Corp (1031 Exchanges). 

Our commitment to our customers emphasizes financial solutions designed to meet their personal and business needs.  We have a wide array of products and services geared toward entrepreneurial business. We have been acclaimed for our Small Business expertise, we have expanded this expertise by offering Construction Lending in Multi-Family, Mixed Use Commercial and Residential Property Loans. We offer SBA 504 and SBA 7A programs for business startups, plant improvement, expansion, and merger and acquisition.

In conclusion, I feel our banks have a reputation based on trust, integrity, and viability. This leads to the most important component that a financial institution can generate: loyalty, “the key to success in good times and bad."

Florian Barbi

President, CEO  & Chairman of the Board