History

On June 1, 1888, Merchants and Farmers Bank, in Macon, MS, opened with $20,000 in capital. The first home of the bank was the law office of Judge H. W. Foote, the only building in town with a fireproof vault. In 1904, M & F purchased the bank in Shuqualak, MS, and in 1930, a branch was established in Scooba, MS.

During the depression in the 1930s, board members personally pledged high quality municipal bonds to insure the funds of our depositors. This action reassured the depositors, and no run was ever made on the bank.

In 1972, M & F erected a new building in Shuqualak, and in 1977 began construction on the present Main Office building in Macon. The 1990s was a decade of great growth — the bank added branches in Columbus, and branched into West Point on a de novo basis in 1997. We are now serving the West Point community with two full service locations.

Since 1999, the bank has opened branches in Starkville and Madison, MS, and has continued its rapid growth in the Jackson area with the opening of its Gluckstadt location in 2005, its Flowood location in 2006, and its Ridgeland location in 2006.

With the rapid expansion of the bank’s service area, it was felt that the bank needed a new name—one that would better represent our ability to meet the financial needs of all the people within the communities we serve. For that reason, on July 12, 1999, Merchants & Farmers Bank became BankFirst Financial Services. We believe the new BankFirst name expresses our desire to be a bank that places the needs of its customers first.

The bank's motto has always been Strength, Stability, and Service, and it has always been served by a strong board of directors who are interested in both the bank's success as well as in the improvement of the communities they represent. Because of strong leadership, BankFirst Financial Services has been able to withstand tough economic times, continue to grow, make a profit for its shareholders, and serve the needs of its customers and their communities.

We are looking forward to the future and our continued growth and expansion.

BankFirst is “A Better Way to Bank”.