The First Bank

About Us

“We know this community well and we want to make certain that those who grew accustomed to a handshake and a personal face on a transaction can get that kind of service again.”

Banking was once done on a handshake. Personal relationships between banker and customer were melded on baseball fields, church pews, and at potluck suppers. But the demands for faster growth and larger profits forced ever larger but less personal banks to meet those demands. Coupled with deregulation and mergers, the personal touch was missing in most situations.

A return to community bank service is the cornerstone of the development of Gulf Coast Community Bank. Under direction of local business leader and former State representative Buzz Ritchie, Gulf Coast Community Bank offers Escambia and Santa Rosa County residents and business owners another choice in banking.

Buzz is joined by a team of experienced bankers who are long time residents of Northwest Florida and have made exceptional contributions to a host of community activities.