HISTORY
Alliance Bank has been a strong banking presence in the community since its opening in the late 1920’s. In mid-1927, First State Bank of Sulphur Springs was closed for insolvency. Two of its largest depositors, Charles Ashcroft and Jim Lindley, decided to reopen under a new name and new management, and on June 13, 1927, they re-chartered as Sulphur Springs State Bank. Since that first year, the bank has generated a profit and paid a dividend to its shareholders every year without interruption.

During the late 1920’s and the early 1930’s, Sulphur Springs State Bank strengthened its holdings through several acquisitions, which included banks in Ridgeway, Cumby, Brashear, and Pickton. The bank also gained additional customers, deposits, and notes when the banks in Yantis and Sulphur Bluff were sold. In 1933, a fire broke out in the bank, creating an immediate need to relocate. To solve this problem, SSSB bought First National Bank in order to get the building and its location on the town square.

Sulphur Springs State Bank further bolstered its presence in the community by establishing a relationship with the dairy industry that has lasted for more than 50 years. In 1937, Carnation Milk opened a canning plant in Sulphur Springs. With the insight that Carnation would be a sure purchaser, the bank encouraged farmers in the area to set aside some farmland as pasture and offered to make 100% loans on dairy cows with anyone who had a contract with Carnation. This partnership with the dairy industry helped propel Sulphur Springs and the surrounding rural communities into one of the largest dairy regions in the United States.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, automation began to redefine the American way of life and the dairy industry was no exception. Carrying on the same commitment to the farmers, Sulphur Springs State Bank made loans to upgrade their equipment and facilities as well as their herds to meet the new demands of modernization.

A second period of expansion began in late 1984 when the bank opened a second facility on the south side of Sulphur Springs by the interstate highway. In 1990, the Greenville branch at 5804 Wesley Street was purchased from the FDIC. The Commerce and Wolfe City branches were also added by acquisition from FDIC in 1993. This phase of growth concluded with the merger of Sulphur Springs State Bank and Colonial Bank of Greenville in March 1996. As a result of this merger, the asset holdings of the bank now exceeded $300 million and in an effort to unify the bank’s presence in the different communities as well as the employees of the new bank, Sulphur Springs State Bank made a decision to change its name. In October 1996, the bank’s name was officially changed to Alliance Bank.

Alliance Bank has also met many of the challenges of this new technology era. The bank offers many automated solutions, including direct deposit, ATMs, and 24-hour telephone access. With the rapid growth of the Internet and the new demands on the financial industry for online access, Alliance Bank established its World Wide Web presence in 1996 with www.alliancebank.com and added Alliance Online, its online banking and bill payment feature, in 1999.

Since its birth in 1927, Alliance Bank has seen changes in the dairy industry as well as its own banking industry and met them head on with new products and services. The bank has made a commitment to discover and meet the specific needs of the communities it serves and will continue to do so as time goes on.