BB&T Bank

On April 5, 2019, Athens became another victim of the digital age and large commercial mergers when the BB&T Bank, formally the Athens Bank,  closed leaving a branch bank of First Community Bank  the only bank in Athens. The citizens of Athens and surrounding areas are now given the only choices of changing banks or driving to Princeton to take care of all their banking needs.

The Bank of Athens was established on January 25, 1905.  The bank occupied two other locations before opening this final location on December 16, 1974. The full story of the Bank of Athens is here.

In 1984 Bank of Athens merged with One Valley Bank owned by One Valley Bancorp out of Charleston and on July 1, 1987, officially became inactive due to the merger thus ending the era of a locally owned and operated small town bank that had lasted for over 80 years.

In November 2000 the One Valley Bank officially became inactive due to its merger with BB&T Bank.

In 2019 BB&T Bank and SunTrust Bank merged to form the 6th largest bank, renamed Truist Bank, in the nation. Both banks had many branches located in close proximity to each other and the decision was made to begin closing branch banks that were no longer needed.