By Christopher Manson
United Fidelity Bank Community President Ed Burns has served in his position for the past four and a half years. Prior to that, he worked for a couple other banks. The Fort Walton Beach native and FWB High School alumnus has 20 years of banking experience to his credit.
United Fidelity Bank purchased the old First City Bank, which had been around since 1948, in October 2020. UFB was founded in 1914, expanding from a couple employees at its flagship location in Indiana to over 280 employees with 22 locations spanning five states, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, and over $6 billion in assets.
“We always look for opportunities,” says Burns of the bank’s Destin and Fort Walton Beach acquisitions. “First City Bank was needing to sell, and the opportunity to purchase a long-standing bank with that kind of history was a good decision. This area has always been, and continues to be, a really good area for growth.”
United Fidelity Bank is a full-service bank that offers consumer and business banking and lending services. “We excel in really attractive interest rates on our CDs,” says Burns. “And we pride ourselves on the way we interact with our community, especially our not-for-profits. We’re always looking for different ways to engage with the community.”
On Saturday, October 25, United Fidelity Bank hosts its Fourth Annual Community Day at the Fort Walton Beach location from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Partnering once again with Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast, specifically its Storybook Village endeavor, the event features what Burns describes as “a Fall Festival atmosphere with hot dogs, sno-cones, bouncy houses and live entertainment.” Over 4,000 books will be given away at the free family event. “We’ll be featuring an additional 30 not-for-profits as well.”
Since the first Community Day, the event has grown from a few hundred to over 1,000 visitors. “Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast has always been a great partner for us,” says Burns. “We connected two years ago when they were looking to change their banking services, and it was a natural fit—the way they service all of their families and how we pride ourselves on being a part of the community.
“We’re big fans of what they do.” More information is available at elc-ec.org.
As Community President, Burns maintains “the profitability and growth of the bank and continue to drive home our mission and community values. We do that by really engaging with our customers on a one-to-one basis. We have a rich culture of volunteerism and encourage our employees to interact with the United Way and to sit on boards. It’s kind of ‘old school’ community banking, making our community the best that we can.”
The United Fidelity team brings with it a wealth of experience. “Loretta has worked for us and for First City Bank for 48 years,” says Burns. “All of our bankers are local and have been here for a while. We’re all vested in where we live, work, and worship.” The newly added employees have up to 20 years in the business as well as “new generation” staffers who will lead the way into the future of banking.
For Burns, one of the most rewarding aspects of his work is witnessing some of his bankers that have worked for the bigger regional banks adapting to “this level that’s like family.” And he never tires of sharing in the success and growth of small businesses and not-for-profit customers.
“I always tell people (what distinguishes us) is our ability to truly engage on a personal level,” says Burns. “Most of our clients can contact us directly. They see us in the community, in the grocery store. If you don’t have direct contact with your banker, you don’t have a banker. You have a bank.
“The main thing for us, for this bank, is really diving in and enjoying all the things that make banking fun—knowing our customers and making them feel like they’re not a number.”
United Fidelity Bank is located at 135 Perry Avenue SE in Fort Walton Beach and 363 U.S. Highway 98 East in Destin. Call 850.244.5151 to learn more, or visit unitedfidelity.com.
