Where We Come From
Our #PeopleFirst culture and service started with a rich history more than a century ago.
Embracing Change and Encouraging Innovation
First (and Only) Bank in the Nation
Choice Bank has made history by being the first and only bank to build a direct connection to the FedLine! This connection allows us to send requests directly to the Federal Reserve, allowing us to better process wires for the millions of customers our fintech programs serve. This connection is just the beginning of how we innovate to better serve our customers.
Choice Bank Child Care Grant
Communities Begin with Child Care
In 2021, we launched the Choice Bank Child Care Grant to provide funding to rural North Dakota child care facilities. We distributed $150,000 in grant funding across 16 child care facilities in the grant’s first year! The Child Care Grant has since become an annual opportunity to provide rural child care facilities with the extra support they need to remain resilient.
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PeopleFirst Pantries
Nourishing Our Neighborhoods
Choice Bank partnered with the Legacy Children’s Foundation to help feed our community and build 15 PeopleFirst Pantries that were installed in each community we serve. The pantries are open all the time, no questions asked, helping to fill emergency food service gaps during times when local food pantries are closed.
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Choice Bank Arts Partnership Grant
Cultivating Community Through Arts
Seven Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo nonprofit organizations have been awarded a total of $9,000 through the Choice Bank Arts Partnership Grant. This is an innovative pilot grant program created in partnership with The Arts Partnership that encourages human services providers to incorporate the arts in their work to benefit underserved populations.
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$3 Billion in Assets
Growing Strong
Choice reached over $3 billion in assets, making us one of 300 banks in the country that have achieved this monumental milestone.
Choice Adds Correspondent Banking Services
Banking for Banks
As a People First bank, we put customers first, even if they aren’t our customers. Our Correspondent Banking services give other community banks the resources to grow with their customers.
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
Protecting Our Small Businesses
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided vital financial support for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Choice secured PPP loans for over 3,000 local businesses, helping to protect more than 53,000 jobs in our communities. For Choice Bank, it truly was a team effort. Out of our 420 Choice employees, 75% worked on some part of the PPP loan process.
Choice Sponsors Youthlink
Getting Involved and Giving Back
Youthlink connects homeless youth in Minneapolis with resources and support. Choice is passionate about supporting organizations that benefit our communities, so we began a continuing sponsorship in 2020 and donated $20,000 and 500 pairs of socks to Youthlink to assist the organization’s transformational work.
Ignite Community Impact Event
Feeding the Flame
At our annual Ignite retreat, Choice team members from across all our locations come together and kick things off with a community impact event. During Ignite, team members displaying exemplary leadership to hear from speakers, collaborate, volunteer, and bring new ideas and inspiration back to their locations.
Minneapolis Unrest Response
Standing By Our Community
Our team members in Minnesota came together to stand by our communities impacted by the 2020 civil unrest in the Minneapolis metro. We donated a total of $2,959.48 to go toward purchasing diapers, household supplies, and food for those in impacted communities. We also provided financial support for our business customers that were affected by the unrest.
Choice Launches Educations Series
Taking Care of Business
Choice launched the Taking Care of Business Educational Series in 2020, which provides free educational opportunities pertinent to small businesses. Our webinar series features local business leaders providing insight on topics like cybersecurity, tax laws, and diversity in the workplace. In 2021, Choice expanded the Taking Care of Business series to also include a monthly newsletter.
Launch of the Giving Campaign
Got To Give It Up
In 2020, our North Dakota and Minnesota locations came together for one big charitable event. We combined our support for North Dakota’s Giving Hearts Day and Minnesota’s Give to the Max Day fundraising events into one large Giving Campaign. From sponsoring local charities and matching employee donations, we are excited to help nonprofits create change in our communities.
Launch of the Wishing Well Program
When You Wish Upon a Well
Born from a challenge to come up with a #PeopleFirst idea that would show how much we care for our communities; the Choice Bank Wishing Well Program encouraged individuals in our communities to send in wishes for those they saw as most in need. In its first year, we granted a total of 17 wishes and counting!
SUBMIT A WISH
Thielen Foundation #PeopleFirst Partnership
Hooked on a Thielen
Built on a partnership of shared values, Choice Bank teamed up with Adam and Caitlin Thielen to support The Thielen Foundation and their mission to inspire and educate youth in our communities through a $300,000 donation commitment and several ongoing fundraising and community events including the annual Thielen Foundation’s Topgolf Classic, fundraiser galas, and youth football camps
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Kim Kaufman #PeopleFirst Partnership
Going Global!
We expanded our brand ambassador program to include LPGA Tour Member, Kim Kaufman and embarked on a partnership that will carry our name across the globe.
Insurance Growth
Even MORE Insurance
Through new insurance partnerships and team members, we developed a stronger insurance presence in both ND and MN and nearly doubled our number of insurance clients in over 40 states. Today we have a team of over ___ servicing ___ individuals and businesses across the US and Canada.
Sacred Heart Partnership
Educating Our Youth
In an effort to help bring more real-world skills into the classroom, we teamed up with Sacred Heart in East Grand Forks to develop curriculum based on personal finance, business, and entrepreneurship.
Ignite and Community Impact
Shopping for a Cause
As part of an annual leadership retreat – Ignite, over 100 Choice team members filled shopping carts with donations in under an hour to bring back to charities in their communities.
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A Choice Bank Food Drive
Together, Against Hunger
We joined the Great Plains Food Bank and their mission to end hunger in ND and MN by donating $100,000 and 2,346 pounds of food collected through food drives hosted at each of our locations. To raise the stakes a little more each location put their sculpting skills to the test and competed to see who could make the best food sculpture.
Growth into Moorhead
Moving into Moorhead
On June 12, we found another place to call home and opened a new location at the newly constructed Block E building complex in Moorhead, MN along with several other commercial tenants in an ongoing effort by the city to help develop the downtown area.
Top Performing Bank
We are the Champions!
Driven to success through the work of our team members and the support of our customers and communities, Choice is recognized as a Top Performing Community Bank by the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) for 5 years in row!
Choice named Corporation of the Year by Meda
Championing BIPOC-owned small businesses!
Choice Bank was named 2019 Corporation of the Year by Metropolitan Economic Development Association, a nonprofit organization that helps minority entrepreneurs find success in and around the Twin Cities area.
Venture Bank Partnership
Venturing into the Twin Cities
Choice makes great strides in growth and expands into a new market hand-in-hand with Venture Bank—a $750 million commercial bank with 4 locations in the Twin Cities but built on similar values of giving back and putting people first.
Special-Edition Debit Cards
Supporting Local Art
Recognizing that the arts play an important role in our thriving communities, Choice partnered up with 3 local artists to feature their work on our #SupportLocalArt Debit MasterCards in support of local arts councils.
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Choice Bank Rebrand
Same Bank, New Name
Choice Financial becomes Choice Bank, adopting a refreshed name and look to better reflect our modern and growing organization. In an effort to bring clarity to who we are as an organization, our financial divisions are renamed to Choice Wealth, Choice Benefits, Choice Insurance, and Choice Home Loans.
SBA Director’s Award
We <3 Small Businesses
Choice secures Preferred Lender Status with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), allowing us to help more small businesses in our communities through local servicing and quicker turnaround times. Our efforts did not go unnoticed as we were recognized by the SBA with the Director’s Award for being a Top SBA Lender in North Dakota.
Corporate Leadership in Philanthropy Award
Standing with our Communities
Our #PeopleFirst philosophy goes beyond banking as our organization and its team members find ways to give back whether its volunteering their time or fundraising for a cause. Recognizing our passion for serving our local communities, the Association of Fundraising Professional (AFP) presented Choice with the Corporate Leadership in Philanthropy Award.
Launch of Fintech Partnerships
Innovation with Fintech
As technology continues to shape and evolve our everyday lives, Choice is finding unique ways to partner with Fintech companies to drive innovation in the financial services landscape. Our current partners include Lively, Current, and Lili.
Launch of StrengthsFinder
Exploring our Strengths
Introduced at Ignite, our annual leadership retreat, StrengthsFinder helps team members identify their strengths and empowers them to leverage those strengths as a foundation for collaborating with peers, supervisors, and the organization as a whole. Building our individuals strengths leads to bigger successes together.
BIO Girls #PeopleFirst Partnership
Putting Young Girls First
Choice Bank began a partnership with BIO Girls in 2016. BIO Girls is a Fargo-based nonprofit with a mission to increase the self-esteem of adolescent girls through a 12-week program of service and empowerment. Choice Bank sponsors full scholarships for low- and moderate-income individuals to participate in this incredible program.
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Choice Adds Wealth Management
Welcoming Wealth
In 2016, Choice added Wealth Management to our lineup of services. Our Choice Wealth team has since grown to over 20 financial advisors serving the communities of Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Dickinson.
Defining Our Mission
People First. Banking Second
Choice has always been People First, but it wasn’t until 2017 when we found the perfect words to capture it. People First. Banking Second. With this mission, our approach to financial services starts with your best interests in mind. We work alongside you to achieve your goals and celebrate your growth as an individual or business. Your success is our success.
Launch of Video Collaboration
And for All to See
Choice launches video collaboration efforts with video phones and video conferencing, making it easier for team members to collaborate effectively across our growing organization.
$1 Billion in Assets
A Thousand Million
Choice catapults over $1 billion in assets and joins less than seven hundred other banks in the country who have achieved such a huge milestone.
Benefits Services
More Than just a Bank
Choice Financial Group is committed to putting people first; to be with our clients during all their most significant moments. Continuing this commitment, we begin offering employee benefit services to clients, allowing them to expand on their growth and plans for the future.
Best Banks to Work for – American Banker
Best of the Best
Highlighted for our values, career development and training, schedule flexibility, and convenient and forward-thinking technology, Choice was named one of the Best Banks to Work For in the nation by American Banker in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Great Plains National Bank Partnership
Great Plains = Great Fit
Choice acquires Great Plains National Bank with locations in Dickinson, Belfield, South Heart, Ellendale, and LaMoure.
Bismarck Expansion
Hello, Bismarck!
In less than 90 days, Choice adds a fully FDIC insured bank in Bismarck with an amazing group of team members.
Hospice Events
Hawaii, Hoedowns, and Heroes Oh My!
Initially started in 2013 with humble beginnings in Fargo, our hospice fundraising efforts now involve hundreds of volunteers, dozens of organizations, and thousands of community members across the state. Since starting this initiative, we have expanded our annual hospice events to include Bismarck, Dickinson, and Grand Forks. Together, we have raised over $900,000 for local hospice organizations!
Choice Footprints Was Born
Recognition for our Best
Our Choice Footprints program is an annual recognition and reward program that gives team members the opportunity to nominate their fellow peers whose efforts leave lasting footprints in our organization’s growth and prosperity.
The Beginning of our Social Presence
People ‘Like’ Us
Choice joins the world of social media, making our first post on Facebook. Now, you can find us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram!
Top Ag Bank
#1 Ag Lender in ND
Our roots in the ag industry continue to remain strong. With the support of our ag customers support, we have been continuously recognized as a Top Ag Lender in North Dakota since 2011.
HSA Program Launch
One Nation, Under Choice
Our Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have allowed us to provide service to customers in all 50 states!
Choice Health & Fitness Partnership
A Healthy Community Partner
Choice Financial sponsors the naming rights to Choice Health & Fitness—the state’s largest health & wellness facility. The facility would go on to officially open its doors to the Grand Forks community in 2012.
$500 Million in Assets
Oh, We’re Halfway There!
Choice reaches $500 million in assets—a significant milestone in our bank’s history.
Fargo Expansion
Welcome to Fargo
To complement our West Fargo location, Choice expands with a location in Fargo.
Grand Forks Expansion
A Home in Grand Forks
In 2004, we added our first location in Grand Forks, followed by a second in 2008. The copper roof became a signature element to the design of our North Dakota locations.
The Choice Anniversary Party
A Tradition is Born
Every year our team members gather together for an evening of wining, dining, and fun at the annual Choice Anniversary Party. It’s a chance for our Choice family to celebrate all our hard work and achievements throughout the year.
Choice Financial Group was Born
A New Bank with Longtime Roots
The beginning of Choice Financial started with a small group of people from four different banks with community roots stemming back over 100 years and $150 million in assets. United by a shared set of values, they came together as one to form an organization with a passion for putting people first.
