★ Company Overview
First Guaranty Bank (FGB), a division of First Guaranty Bancshares, Inc., is an American state-chartered community bank founded on March 12, 1934 and headquartered in Hammond, Louisiana. As of Q1 2025, FGB has about 35 branches, covering regions such as Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The bank mainly focuses on small and medium-sized enterprise loans, public fund custody, mortgage loans and consumer loans, and provides financial services in combination with the positioning of community-based banks.
★ Regulatory Information
FGB is a state-chartered bank authorized by the Louisiana Office of Financial Institutions (OFI), not a member of the Federal Reserve, contracted by the FDIC, insured by deposits, and with FDIC certificate number 14028。 As a wholly owned subsidiary of First Guaranty Bancshares, the parent company is also regulated by the Federal Reserve. FGBs are regularly inspected by the FDIC and OFI and are subject to regulations such as Dodd-Frank, EGRRCPA, CRA, USA PATRIOT, Truth-in-Lending, etc. As of 2019, it has a CRA rating of "satisfactory", and in 2022, it met regulatory requirements in Tier 1, total capital ratio, leverage ratio, etc.
★ Trading products
The FGB product line includes savings accounts, checking accounts, SME loans (working capital financing, equipment loans, etc.), housing loans (residential and commercial mortgages), public funds escrow (e.g., municipal, school district accounts), credit cards, and consumer loans. In recent years, we have expanded our portfolio to include high-quality government bonds, FHLB debt and corporate bonds. At the end of 2022, the company's assets were approximately $2.9–3.8 billion ($1.75 billion in 2017; 2025 Q1 is $3.826 billion).
★ Trading Software
FGB provides standardized online banking services and mobile apps that support account viewing, reconciliation, electronic transfers and loan applications. In addition to online services, it also provides offline branch processing and credit consultation. The software supports automatic transaction records and reconciliation viewing, but there is no complex transaction system.
★ Customer Support
FGB provides customer support for individuals and SMBs at the community level, including deposits, loans, escrows, public money accounts, and online self-service. Accounting, loans, card security and interest rate review are supported by a relationship manager and an online system, with branch outlets for on-site service and customer consultation.
★ Core Business & Services
Public fund management: Trusteeship of public funds such as school districts and state governments, and protection of income and safety through a trust structure.
Loan services: Provide a variety of business loans (business credit, mortgage financing) and consumer loans, with interest rates and tenors set according to risk ratings.
Deposits: Accounts of all types provide interest returns and ensure that deposits are up to FDIC insured.
Investment and asset allocation: Operate a portfolio of medium- and high-quality bonds to serve the balance between the safety and return of public deposits.
★ Technology infrastructure
FGB leverages modern banking core systems to process transactions and loan approvals; Deploy an FDIC data upload interface; Participate in the FHLB system for financial support (e.g. credit liquidity reserves). The software system integrates the federal bank's clearing network with the online custody mechanism of public funds to achieve financial transparency.
★ Compliance and risk control system
FGB complies with OFI, FDIC, FRB, CFPB, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), USA PATRIOT Act, and Consumer Financial Protection Act, and controls all aspects of risk, including capital-to-capital ratio, leverage ratio, loan concentration, public fund custody regulation, etc. In 2022, the Tier 1 value was 11.49%, the community leverage ratio was 3.16%, the loan-to-deposit ratio was ≈ 101.8%, and the cost efficiency was 68.7%. Public money regulation requires a reserve mechanism in the form of FHLB bank guarantees or U.S. government securities.
★ Market Positioning & Competitive Advantage
FGB has positioned itself as a community-based bank, focusing on public fund custody and community banking services since 1934, and has a greater geographical advantage and customer proximity than large banks. Advantages include:
Long-term public fund account relationship with high business stability;
Intensive community services, maintaining in-depth cooperation with local governments and enterprises;
Years of experience in loan evaluation and risk control;
Sufficient compliance capital, standardized information disclosure, and maintaining a good reputation.
FGB encourages employee professional development (e.g., 401(k), continuing education, tuition reimbursement, and supports local communities through community giving (>$600,000 in 2022), social responsibility activities. It also provides credit training, financial education and mentoring, as well as SME support programs.
★ Social Responsibility and ESG
Banks do not have clear ESG reporting indicators, but they play a social responsibility role through community donations, public fund custody and loan support. The internal employee policy demonstrates a value commitment to equal rights and community building.
★ Strategic Cooperation Ecosystem
FHLB System Member Provide interbank capital circulation mechanism and liquidity support;
Public money investment banks, which hold public funds in trust with U.S. government bonds or FHLB notes;
Long-term cooperation with state government, school districts, and city management departments to manage escrow funds;
financial auditor support (e.g. annual audit and regulatory disclosure);
Collaborative relationships between federal regulators such as the OFI, FDIC, FRB and CFPB ensure regulatory compliance and reporting transparency.
★ Financial health
According to 2025 Q1 data, FGB has total assets of approximately $3.83 billion, net loans of approximately $2.47 billion, deposits of $3.34 billion, equity of $307 million, a solid risk capital ratio (11.49% for Tier 1), a loan/deposit ratio of ≈ 101.8%, an ROA of −0.53%, and an ROE of −6.68%. As of 2022, net revenue is approximately $27.3 million and the total number of employees is approximately 465. The adjusted net interest margin was stable in 2021 with an efficiency ratio of 68.7%, indicating stable bank operations.
★ Future Roadmap
M&A expansion: Acquisition of Lone Star Bank in 2023, with assets and loans expected to further expand to $3.2 billion in assets;
Optimize the management model of public funds: adjust the investment portfolio in response to the Basel III policy to stabilize capital and liquidity;
Technology enhancement: Improve the user experience of online banking and mobile to meet the rapid development trend of FinTech;
Improving community relations: Continue to strengthen CRA compliance ratings and community financial support programs to maintain policy support and customer stickiness;
Enhanced risk management: Ongoing response to regulatory requirements (e.g., capital buffers, Dodd-Frank conditions, etc.), post-merger integration and leverage control.
✅ summary
First Guaranty Bank is a state-chartered bank with a nearly 100-year history, stable public money custody business, and strong regulatory compliance capabilities. Through mergers and acquisitions, technology upgrades, and community services, FGB is completing its transformation from a traditional community bank to a regional bank, emphasizing capital health, risk management, and social responsibility. Under the condition of stable regulatory capital and public custody mechanism, its future development deserves continuous attention.
