MADISON, WI – January 13, 2021 – First Business Financial Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: FBIZ), parent company of First Business Bank, today announces the First Business brand and entities, including First Business Trust & Investments, First Business Capital Corp., First Business Growth Funding, First Business Equipment Finance, and First Business Bank Consulting aligned under one single brand – First Business Bank – with an upgraded .BANK website and email domain.
What Clients & Vendors Can Expect:
- Clients and vendors see a refreshed logo and the brand name First Business Bank referenced in company communication
- First Business Bank moved to the .BANK domain for website and email communications
- .BANK offers increased security by eliminating doppelgänger phishing schemes
- If a client or vendor goes to firstbusiness.com, they are redirected to firstbusiness.bank. Please update any bookmarks.
- If a client or vendor emails an employee at firstbusiness.com, the email redirects to the new domain. Please update any contact records.
- Online logins are accessible through firstbusiness.bank/login. Please update any login bookmarks.
- First Business Bank’s mobile app icons are automatically updated.
- First Business Bank debit and Health Savings Account (HSA) cardholders will receive their new cards with the new look and logo; new debit cards will include new features. All debit cardholders should activate their new cards immediately as the old debit cards will no longer work 30 days after receiving the new card.
- First Business Bank credit cardholders will not receive a new card at this time, however any new cardholders, lost cards or stolen cards issued after 1/13/21 will have the new First Business Bank logo.
- As new company documents are issued, clients and vendors will see our updated company name, logo, and domain.
Why .BANK?
- The .BANK environment, exclusive to the banking industry, provides a level of security unmatched in traditional internet environments, such as .com or .net. The strict controls in place mitigate cybersecurity risk. A domain with a .BANK extension is a verified member of the banking industry that has gone through the proper channels to earn a .BANK domain name.
- Requirements for registering, owning, and operating a .BANK domain include:
- Only verified members of the global banking community are eligible to register a .BANK domain
- Proof is required to obtain a .BANK domain name, which must correspond to your organization’s legal name or branding
- The domain and site must comply with enhanced security requirements that are not mandated by the operators of .com or .net domains (Source)
- At the same time, First Business Bank transitioned its email addresses to .BANK, offering heightened protection for all its employees’ email because the domain is verified. It provides email phishing protection that is not replicable with .com or .net.
First Business Bank Journey
Over thirty years ago, Jerry Smith set out to create the first business-focused bank in the Midwest. One that focused on the unique needs of business owners. One that employed entrepreneurial-minded bankers motivated to become experts in the needs of their clients’ businesses. A bank that would travel to clients to do business. An approach that would enable the team to spend more time getting to know its clients and their businesses. And with that focus would come expertise, and with expertise, success.
At the time, this approach was so revolutionary that the term “bank” was too restrictive. Banks were places that had branches up and down the street and served the general public. First Business Bank didn’t fit that mold. To encompass our story, we started to use the brand name “First Business.” We selectively added services addressing the financial needs of business owners – ones for owners during rapid growth phases when commercial lending was not a good fit. And services that addressed business owners’ personal financial needs, yet still leveraged our expertise and approach.
As this model proved successful, we grew, went public, entered new geographic markets, attracted over 300 experts to our employee base, and added more complementary services. We now offer: Business Banking – including Commercial Banking and Specialty Finance – Private Wealth, and Bank Consulting services.
As First Business expanded, the financial industry changed, too. Consumers started naturally associating private wealth and specialty finance services with the banking industry, and, in fact, more than 90% of the services we offer.
These shifts presented First Business with the opportunity to make the strategic decision to advance its brand, aligning its companies and services under one single brand name – First Business Bank. Of course, this change will make it easier for our clients to reference our company, but this evolution is more than a name change. It’s symbolic of the changes we’ve been making to remove internal barriers and focus on the client experience.
We believe a refined focus exclusively on the financial needs of businesses and executives positions us with top-tier expertise that makes a real difference every day for clients. This brand alignment means our clients can come to First Business Bank for an expanded list of solutions and trust the level of expertise is beyond compare throughout our company. We’re the same First Business Bank you’ve always trusted, and now we’re even stronger together under one name, aligned to deliver for our clients.
About First Business Bank
First Business Bank specializes in business banking, including Commercial Banking and Specialty Finance, Private Wealth, and Bank Consulting Services, and through its refined focus delivers unmatched expertise, accessibility, and responsiveness. Specialty Finance solutions are delivered through First Business Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary First Business Specialty Finance, LLC. First Business Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Business Financial Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: FBIZ). For additional information, visit firstbusiness.bank.