History

Prairie National Bank adopted its new identity as of June 1, 2005.  Founded in 1928 as The Stewardson National Bank, we have been a part of the community of Stewardson for over three quarters of a century.  Ray A. Richards began his career at The Stewardson National Bank in 1949, where he served as President from 1960 until 1997.  During this time, The Stewardson National Bank grew and changed to better serve the community.  One major change was the move from its original home to the current location at 110 East Main in Stewardson in September of 1987.

Bank assets have grown tremendously in the last 75 years, allowing us to open our Effingham branch at 210 E. Fayette in Effingham.  Effingham has grown because of their strong commitment to the needs of their citizens and a desire to exceed their expectations.  The citizens have always pulled together to deliver quality service and products to customers far and wide.  It’s this spirit of teamwork that attracted us to Effingham in 2001 and still makes us proud to be a part of this great town and its ideals.

When Ray Richards retired from his day-to-day activities in 1997, his son, John Richards, was named President and today retains his seat as Chairman of the Board.  The Board of Directors consists of Florence Richards, John Richards, Perrie Richards, John McHugh, Tim Lenz and Dennis Rubin.  Current employees are: Marcie Anderson, Gail Brandt, Marla Brandt,  BrittanyDefend, Connie Faught, Brian Flach, Kelsey Goldstein, Tiffany Haws, Taylor Helton, Erika Nichols, Kipp Rexroat, Perrie Richards, Dennis Rubin, Jody Saunders, Kim Tarrant, Kimberly Wallace, Tommi Warfield, Bryce Weber, and Debbie Womack.

The Bank celebrated its 85th year of service in 2013 and continues to be one of the few National Banks in Shelby County.  Over the years, while not only serving its customers, the Bank has also been an active sponsor of community activities, as well as sponsoring local school activities.  In the past few years, the Bank has been involved in fundraising for The Community Organization Working for Stewardson; supporting school sports and programs in both Effingham and Shelby County; & the Angel program which supports less fortunate children in the area during the holidays.

Going forward, Prairie National Bank hopes to have a hand in building better communities through donations and community involvement.  As we look to the future, we are aiming toward greater success for the Bank as well as the communities we serve.