First Bank

First Bank is such a common bank name that it usually tells you almost nothing beyond the fact that the company wants to sound established and familiar. By our assessment, that makes it a practical but very generic choice in the banking world. The useful side is obvious: banks under this kind of name are usually the places people go for deposits, loans, cards, and branch service. The downside is the lack of identity, because the name alone does not separate it from all the other First Banks out there. In practice that can mean a very ordinary banking experience, judged more by branch quality and fees than by the name on the sign. It sits in the broad middle of retail banking, and the real question is not the name but how the specific bank handles everyday money work.