STUART, Fla., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First National Bank and
Trust Company of the Treasure Coast, the banking subsidiary of Seacoast
Banking Corporation of Florida (Nasdaq: SBCF), announced today that it will
change its name to Seacoast National Bank effective immediately.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050916/SEACOASTLOGO )
"Our expansion into northern Palm Beach and Brevard counties, combined
with our mergers with Century National Bank in Orlando and Big Lake National
Bank in six counties in south central Florida, signaled a need for the
change," said Dennis S. Hudson, III Chairman and CEO. "With our expansions
beyond the Treasure Coast, First National Bank and Trust Company of the
Treasure Coast no longer reflects the markets we serve. Tying the bank's name
closer to the holding company simply makes good sense.
"First National Bank is one of, if not the most common name in banking and
our franchise is anything but common. We pride ourselves in offering
consumers and businesses the third alternative in banking: A unique
combination of the sophisticated financial services expected at the large mega
banks, delivered with the personal service you expect from a community bank."
This is not the first name change the Bank has made in its eighty year
history.
* The Bank was originally chartered in Sebastian, Florida as Indian River
County Bank in 1926.
* When it was moved to Okeechobee in 1930 the name was changed to Citizens
Bank of Okeechobee.
* After moving to Stuart in 1933, the name changed to Citizens Bank of
Stuart.
* In 1958, after establishing a trust department and changing its charter
from state to national, the Bank changed its name to First National Bank of
Stuart with trust powers.
* In 1970, the name was changed to First National Bank and Trust Company
of Stuart.
* The holding company, Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, was
established in 1983.
* With the bank's expansion beyond Stuart, the name changed to First
National Bank and Trust Company of the Treasure Coast in 1988.
With the evolution to Seacoast National Bank, expect to see new signs over
the next several months, but the "sails in the wind" logo will remain.
Adopted as the bank's logo in 1981, the sails are a graphic interpretation of
a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox that reads:
"One ships drives east,
another drives west
with the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sails
and not the gales
that tells us the way to go."
"I do not believe there is a better way of describing the culture of our
bank than this poem," said Jean Strickland, President of Seacoast National
Bank. "We strive every day to do what is right for our customers and
shareholders over the long term and not participate in fads that come and go
in our industry. We see this as a natural evolution in our history that will
serve us well into the future. We are very proud of our team of professional
bankers and the new name fits the dynamic nature of the bank and the people
who work here."
With 30 branches and $2.5 billion in assets, Seacoast National Bank is one
of the largest independent banks headquartered in Florida.
SOURCE Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida
-0- 04/28/2006
/CONTACT: Dennis S. Hudson, III, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
+1-772-288-6086, or Jean Strickland, President and Chief Operating Officer,
+1-772-288-6066, both of Seacoast/
/Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050916/SEACOASTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com /
/Web site: http://www.seacoastbanking.net /
(SBCF)
CO: Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida; Seacoast National Bank
ST: Florida
IN: FIN
SU:
AC-DS
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8730 04/28/200612:33 EDThttp://www.prnewswire.com