To tell the Fulton Financial Corporation story, we need to begin with the story of our lead bank, Fulton Bank, N.A. That story begins in 1882 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where local merchants and farmers organized Fulton National Bank.

The bank’s name was chosen to honor Lancaster County native Robert Fulton, the inventor and artist best known for designing and building the first successful steamboat, the Clermont.

From the very beginning, Fulton had a reputation for keen understanding and servicing of agricultural and business accounts, in addition to personal banking. Over the years, Fulton’s conservative management has been the key to the Bank’s survival during the some of our nation’s most challenging periods, including the Great Depression.

In 1948, Fulton Bank began to acquire other local banks, eventually becoming the largest bank in Lancaster County. From time to time, this consistent growth required significant expansion of our corporate headquarters. With each expansion or renovation, Fulton Bank took the opportunity to invest in the community, restoring neglected properties to attractive functionality.

The ’70s and ’80s saw a renaissance of sorts, as Fulton Bank rededicated itself to providing superior service to its retail customers. Initiatives included aggressively pursuing branch expansion; extending business hours; installing 24-hour ATMs; and launching consumer-oriented credit programs and pay-by-phone service.

In 1982, in addition to celebrating its 100th anniversary, Fulton Bank formed a holding company, thus becoming a wholly owned subsidiary and the flagship bank of Fulton Financial Corporation. This development marked the beginning of a well-developed acquisition strategy that has since helped us grow to our current position: the largest commercial bank holding company headquartered in the Third Federal Reserve District.

Throughout all the growth, progress and changes of our organization, we’ve never lost sight of the spark that inspires and powers all of our work: people. And whether they’re customers, employees, shareholders or community members - quite often, those groups overlap - we keep them at the heart of all we do.