History

In the summer of 1924, several local business leaders from the eastern part of Wicomico County and the western part of Worcester County decided the time had come to formally establish a bank in Willards, Maryland that would represent and serve the needs of the “common man.”

In January of 1925, Farmers Bank of Willards (FBW) opened its doors to welcome the public. Because automobile transportation was still quite new and good roads were hard to find, the opening of the small bank was of major benefit to the citizens of the small communities in Wicomico County, who no longer had to drive or take the train to Salisbury or Berlin to do their banking.

From the beginning, the Board of Directors unanimously agreed that treating customers as if they were family would be the standard “hallmark” of FBW and its small staff. Led by Ebeneezer Davis from 1925-1938 and Aubrey Davis from 1939-1969, the Bank continued to prosper throughout the war years, serving the needs of the agricultural community in the small towns of Willards, Pittsville, Whaleyville, Whiton, Parsonsburg, and Gumboro, Delaware.

Walden Wooden was President of the Bank from 1970-1983, during which time he continued to help grow the bank to broaden small business and non-agricultural lending. In 1984, Frank A. Davis became President and expanded the Bank’s reach to the larger markets of Salisbury, Maryland by acquiring what is now known as our Shoppers World Branch on US Route 50, and also building our Pemberton Branch on the west side of Salisbury.

In 2002 when Christopher F. Davis became President, the Bank’s assets totaled approximately $130 million. During this time, he has continued to expand the Bank’s service region to include Ocean City, Maryland in 2004 and 2006 with new branches in West Ocean City and the Montego Bay Shopping Center in North Ocean City. Simultaneously, FBW again expanded its service area to include the south end of Salisbury by constructing its Milford Street Branch. In July 2009 in order to better serve the downtown Ocean City community, our Talbot Street Branch was opened.

In 2016, Farmers Bank once again expanded to Millsboro, Delaware, opening its first branch across state lines. Our legendary customer service was welcomed by the local residents and businesses. Today, the bank holds assets of nearly $400 million with approximately $330 million just in local loans.

Since 1925, FBW has been dedicated to providing the utmost quality customer service – a true family banking experience with a qualified and helpful staff who sincerely cares about our customers….and listens to them. Appreciatively, we have many, many, loyal and satisfied customers that support that statement.

Despite numerous banking mergers and acquisitions over the past several decades, the Directors of Farmers Bank are committed to continue as a prominent, independent and successful financial institution on the Delmarva Peninsula, putting our customers’ needs and interests first! Our Bank remains today under the same local ownership as when it opened its doors in 1925 in Willards, Maryland.

So what makes a community bank so different from big national and international mega banks, you might ask? One of the biggest reasons is that we have local control over our lending practices and the types of products and services we offer; and we’ve always established our loan and deposit services to help meet the needs of the local communities and their people. With FBW, our valued customers always come first, and as a smaller bank, we feel fortunate to have the freedom and opportunity to be flexible, responsive and innovative. The banking industry is fast changing, but one thing about us will never change, and that’s our commitment to our loyal customers.

While other banks may be downsizing their staff to meet the changing market landscape, we are investing in our staff and training them to be prepared to meet the financial needs of the future.

As an independent bank, we also know that our future depends on the growth and vitality of each community we serve. From Salisbury to Ocean City and now Millsboro, Delaware, we stand ready to meet our customers’ needs. In our everyday routine, we work with our customers to help develop and formulate business plans and ideas that will aid their profitability and success. We freely offer our resources and expertise to all our deserving customers. At the Farmers Bank, we continually seek new ways to better our communities and its people.

From local Little Leagues and Fire Companies, to helping many worthy charities and causes, we gladly give back to the communities that give so much to us. We are pleased to support economic development initiatives, higher education opportunities and many community development and quality-of-life projects and organizations.

Our commitment to excellence means that we commit each day to maintain the highest level of personal customer service as well as continue to offer our customers “new” services such as internet and mobile banking, in addition to totally free checking on both their business and checking accounts. We are extremely proud to be a leader among independent community banks as we embrace the challenge of always providing great leadership, strength, and extraordinary, friendly service to all our past, present and future customers.

Respectfully yours,

Christopher F. Davis
President
The Farmers Bank of Willards