Atlantic Union Bank History
Throughout the 20th Century, Union Bank & Trust continually expanded while maintaining our commitment to excellent customer service.
We believe people have a right to expect more from the companies they do business with – and they can expect more from Atlantic Union Bank (AUB), a bank whose Virginia roots go back to 1902. There have been many changes since our founding in Bowling Green, VA, on September 17, 1902. We started out with a total of $2,500 in assets as Union Bank & Trust. Now, we operate in three states and have over $20 billion in assets. But one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s our commitment to our customers, not only in Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland, but throughout other geographies with areas of commercial banking and in 39 states for home loans.
Throughout the 20th Century, Union Bank & Trust continually expanded while maintaining our commitment to excellent customer service. That included being one of the first movers in embracing internet banking as a regional bank. After all, meeting our customers where they are has been a core part of our identity for over a hundred years. And online and mobile banking has allowed us to keep up with big national banks in having the most up-to-date, secure technology and capabilities for our customers.
One major way we met our customers where they were was when we became Union First Market Bank after a merger with First Market Bank in March 2010. This acquisition led to a period of expansion for the bank as we looked to better serve everyone in our footprint. We then acquired StellarOne Bank, Xenith Bank and Access National Bank (including Middleburg Bank) between 2014 and 2019. These acquisitions expanded our reach in Virginia and North Carolina and gave us the heft to expand our offerings and bring our customer-focused mission to more people. After these acquisitions, we realized that it was time to bring consistency to our brand, and we changed our name to Atlantic Union Bank (AUB) on May 19, 2019. Plus, we wanted to be sure that our customers could find us and be confident in who they were working with. Since there was a pre-existing Union Bank and Trust in North Carolina, as well as other Union Bank & Trust banks through the U.S., we wanted to ensure we had a unique name that would stand out in the marketplace as a bank you could trust.
With that name change, it was a new step for the bank to become even better for our customers. At the time, our then-Chief Marketing Officer Duane Smith, said “We are excited to officially launch our new brand with the same commitment to service and relentless focus on our customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Now that we have unified our brand under a distinctive name and logo, customers can easily identify with their bank from Virginia, to Maryland and North Carolina.”
As we look back at our first hundred-plus years and look forward to our next hundred, AUB knows that there are some things that never change. No matter how technology evolves, the most important thing is to use that technology to benefit our customers. Banking with a personal touch – that’s how we were founded and that’s how we will continue. We’ve always banked in a way that aligns with our values – whether it was our old 2 for 1 pig loan designed to help youth in Bowling Green in 1919, or our current ThankU Checking accounts designed especially for military personnel, educators, healthcare professionals and first responders.
Looking forward to our next hundred years, John Asbury, our Chief Executive Officer, constantly reminds us – “it’s all about the people – it’s always all about the people.” He keeps us focused on the values that have brought us to where we are, as we use those values – caring, courageous, committed – to inform where we are going.