The bank's business outlook remains good. Sanders said Preferred Bank is about six months ahead of projections.

When a customer can walk into a bank and be addressed by his or her first name, reminisce about high school days or chit-chat about mutual friends with bank staff, that customer knows le or she is being treated as special.

Such scenarios aren't as common in today's high-tech, big budget world of banking, but at the newest financial institution in the small town of Casey Ill., that treatment should become the secret to its success.

The leaders at Preferred Bank in Casey hope its approach to community banking takes that extra step by providing customers with better personal service than that of their competition, which includes locally-- owned The Casey National Bank, and a branch of Memphis, Tenn.-- based Union Planters Bank.

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