Ga. banks get new name

DANIELSVILLE, Ga. — The six branches of Merchants & Farmers Bank in Madison County opened today under a new name - First Citizens Bank - after a weekend makeover.

First Citizens Bancorp. Inc. began installing new signs and switching over all Merchants & Farmers' computer and accounting systems Friday after the close of business.

The 74-year-old Merchants & Farmers Bank has branches in Comer, Colbert, Danielsville, Hull and Ila, and an office in the Ingles grocery store near Hull.

First Citizens, based in Columbia, bought Comer-based Merchants & Farmers in June 2008 and at the time said the Madison County bank would keep its name. This year, however, First Citizens announced that it would rename its new subsidiary.

Merchants & Farmers Bank customers have received detailed information about their existing accounts and features of their new First Citizens accounts, bank spokeswoman Angela English said.

Besides changing out the building signs and printing new logos on checks and marketing materials, First Citizens converted the Merchants & Farmer's customer account and operational computer systems shared by all First Citizens bank branches, Ms. English said.

Before the conversion, Merchants & Farmers Bank used a totally different computer operating system from First Citizens, she said.

"Now, an associate at any of our existing First Citizens branches can access information for a former Merchants & Farmers Bank customer," Ms. English said.

Also, all customers of Madison County bank branches will have access to the banking products and services offered by First Citizens' 185 branches in Georgia and South Carolina, said Johnny Terrell, the bank's market executive for Madison County.