Our Story

Community Bank’s roots can be traced back to 1866, when our predecessor, St. Lawrence County National Bank, was chartered. As we’ve expanded across New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts—growing to 200+ branches and 2,900+ local employees—we’ve always remembered what got us here: our customers. And it’s evident in everything we do.

We’ve served the financial needs of our customers for more than 159 years. They’re the reason we exist, which is why we make a point of giving back whenever we can. In 2024 alone, we supported more than 2,200 causes and organizations, giving $3,900,000 in donations, grants, and sponsorships to the communities where we work and live.

It’s all part of our commitment—to our communities, to our customers, to you—and that commitment remains unchanged.

Our neighborly commitment

There’s more to life than banking. That’s why we give back to the places we call our home. See what we're doing to uphold this commitment every day.

HOW WE HELP

Creating inclusivity

Being heard, seen, and invited. That’s our promise to our customers, employees, and the members of our communities. Click below to see how we’re embracing inclusivity.

LEARN MORE

Community by the numbers

A lot of good is happening in our communities. Take a look at our community report to see all we accomplished last year—and how we’re building on it going forward.

VIEW REPORT

WHO WE ARE

Our core values

Integrity

Excellence

Teamwork

Humility

Integrity

It all comes down to doing the right thing. Whether you’re looking to organize your finances, plan for the future, or get your business off the ground, we’ll make sure you have the tools and guidance to do it. In other words, we won’t sell you what you don’t need.

Excellence

No matter the challenges you’re facing or financial uncertainties you have, we always bring our best. What does that mean? It means we blend our expertise, lending power, and emphasis on superior customer service to help you overcome your challenges—and your banking experience is the best it can be.

Teamwork

At Community Bank, we work together—in each branch and across our entire footprint—to give our customers the experience they deserve. By applying a team mentality to all we do, we give greater meaning to the word “community,” and greater purpose to what we accomplish together.

Humility

We believe in respecting everyone. Our colleagues, our customers—everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and consideration. The way we see it, “Community” comes before “Bank” for a reason, and we’re determined to make that reason known in every interaction.

The bigger picture

Community Bank, N.A. is the wholly owned national banking subsidiary of Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI), a diversified financial services company that is focused on four main business lines: banking, employee benefit services, insurance services, and wealth management. In 1983, CFSI was incorporated in Delaware and became a registered bank holding company. CFSI maintains its headquarters in DeWitt, NY.

Its banking subsidiary, Community Bank, N.A., is among the country’s 100 largest banking institutions, with over $15 billion in assets, and operates approximately 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts.

The bank’s regional administrative offices are located in Canton and Olean, NY; Wilkes-Barre, PA; and Williston, VT, and these offices share operational responsibility for customer facilities and ATMs throughout the bank’s footprint. Other subsidiaries within the CFSI family are: Benefit Plans Administrative Services, Inc. subsidiary, a leading provider of employee benefits administration, trust services, collective investment fund administration, and actuarial consulting services to customers on a national scale; OneGroup NY, Inc., a top 75 U.S. insurance agency; and our Wealth Management operating unit, which offers comprehensive financial planning, trust administration, and wealth management services. CFSI is listed on the New York Stock Exchange trading under the symbol CBU.

"Your employees are especially helpful. They’re very responsive to my needs and are so knowledgeable about banking products and services."

Customer, South Burlington, VT

Community Involvement

Deeply invested in our communities

We consider it part of our mission—and our privilege and pride—to strengthen the communities we work in with financial support, in-kind donations and volunteer service.

Learn more

Our Community

Learn – Engage – Evolve: Building the next generation of CBNA leaders

We make sure our team has every opportunity to grow in their careers, which is why we created our Leadership Development Program.

Spreading holiday cheer across our footprint

To give back during the holiday season, branches across our four-state footprint chose the best ways to support their local communities.

Serving country and customers

We recently spoke with Valeri Erlandson, Branch Manager in Springville, NY, to learn about her time in the US Air Force and how it influenced her career.