First Bank & Trust Company was named to Seifried & Brew LLC’s 2011 Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks. FB&T was recognized for balancing risk and reward based on  the bank’s S&B Total Risk/Return Composite Ranking. First Bank & Trust has locations in southwest Virginia, the New River Valley, Shenandoah Valley and northeast Tennessee.

Here is a press release from First Bank & Trust Company.

June 14, 2012 – Seifried & Brew LLC, a community bank risk management firm, named First Bank & Trust Company in its 2011 Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks. To gain entry into this distinguished ranking, the Bank demonstrated exemplary performance of balancing risk and reward based on the Bank’s S&B Total Risk/Return Composite Ranking. This is no small feat considering that the Bank not only survived the Financial Crisis but actually thrived. This supports Seifried & Brew’s belief that conservative, traditional community banking is the strength of our financial system.

In S&B’s newest book, The Art of Capital Planning – The “How-To” Guide, the authors clearly demonstrate that the difference between the banks that failed and those that survived the Financial Crisis, or even those that prospered, was each bank’s ability to optimize risk. While the word “optimize” sounds incongruous with the threats of risk, the truth is that community banks make money from managed risk. Those banks ranking in the 2011 S&B Top 15th Percentile of Community Banks epitomize such optimization of managed risk.

William H. Hayter, President and CEO of First Bank & Trust Company commented on the recent rankings, “Our bank is further strengthened by our loyal customer base, and we are proud of their continued support.  Our performance allows us to give back to the communities we serve, and is testament to the power of providing superior banking services while adhering to the sound business principals we established over 33 years ago.”

About First Bank & Trust Company
First Bank & Trust Company, one of the top community banks in the United States, is a diversified financial services firm with office locations in southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee, and New River and Shenandoah Valleys.  Financial objectives are addressed by offering free checking products for personal and business accounts, and assessing lending solutions managed by mortgage, agricultural and commercial lending divisions.  Comprehensive financial solutions are available through trust and brokerage service representatives.

About Seifried and Brew LLC
S&B provides dynamic content, context, and education to community financial institutions through client specific access.  The mediums available to clients are nationally recognized speaking engagements, facilitations, books, articles, analyses, internet based presentations, risk models, and the proprietary Seifried & Brew Total Risk Index (the “S&B Index”).
Through significant experience, S&B has expertise in national and regional economic perspective.   For community financial institutions, the partnership has industry wide influence on strategic planning, risk management, asset liability management, capital planning, financial trending, investment portfolio review, and con conflict resolution.  Whether the needs are at the board level, with the senior management team, or customer events, S&B’s philosophy is founded on traditional, conservative, and profitable community banking that creates an environment for our nation to prosper.

For more information, visit www.firstbank.com or contact Nicole Franks nfranks@firstbank.com