First Bank has been named the 25th Best Performing Bank out of 200 community banks in the US.

The honor comes from US Banker Magazine.

They ranked banks based on a 3-year average return on equity.

According to the magazine, the banks on this list maintained remarkably high returns on earning, despite the financial market tailspin in the second half of 2007.

"In times where people have some concerns about the strenght of the banking industry, we're here to tell you that it's alive, it's sound, it's safe, it's strong. And this adds validation to our banks strenght and stability," said First Bank President, Harry Smith.

This isn't the first time that the bank has made the top 200 list.

Smith says they've continued to climb the list each year.