Our Bank

About Us

 

Dear Friends,

West Alabama Bank is a strong, growing commercial bank—but we're also nestled right here in your community.

A growing bank, yes—however, we continue to emphasize our commitment to quality service and to the communities we serve. Founded in 1944 as the Bank of Reform, WAB has grown to assets of more than $913 million with fourteen full-service offices in ten Alabama counties. Our commitment to West Alabama means that we can be more responsive to people and businesses—since we make decisions right here, and we make them quickly.

Please take a few moments to review our products and services. West Alabama Bank wants to be your bank.

Sincerely,
Drew Wade
President
 

Our Story & History

 

If you call West Alabama home, our history is yours too. We’re the hometown bank for West Alabama, and for 80 years we’ve been helping people, businesses, and our communities grow better and stronger with each day.

On July 29, 1944, we opened our doors for the very first time as the Bank of Reform in Pickens County. Our leaders, including first bank president, John L. Wade, were visionary and emphasized personal service, friendliness, commitment to customers and community involvement.

Conditions in 1940s-era Pickens County were dramatically different from today. Other than a couple of sawmills, there was absolutely no manufacturing until a cap factory opened in 1948 and Westinghouse in 1953. Population growth, economic growth and inflation enabled our tiny Bank of Reform and banks almost everywhere to grow and prosper.

Under John Wade’s leadership, we experienced strong, steady growth and thrived. In 1975, Wade’s son Andrew C. Wade, Sr. succeeded him as President & Chief Executive Officer, with John Wade remaining as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

A steady stream of expansions and acquisitions followed, as well as a name change to West Alabama Bank & Trust. In 1993, we expanded beyond the boundaries of Pickens County.

By 2008, West Alabama Bank had 16 locations in Pickens, Perry, Choctaw, Fayette, Lamar, Tuscaloosa, Sumter and Bibb counties. In late 2019, we expanded once again by opening a new location in Birmingham. More growth occurred with the opening of our Fairhope office in 2024.Today, our assets total over $913 million and we proudly employ 170 members of our Alabama communities.

We owe a good portion of our success to our desire to try new things and innovate.

Throughout our history, West Alabama Bank & Trust consistently demonstrated values of quality, integrity, and honesty under such notable leaders as Aliceville’s J.E. “Bud” Sanders and James V. Park.

Those same values continued under the leadership of William R. “Rob” Finney as President & CEO for over 25 years.

In 2021, Andrew C. "Drew" Wade, Jr. was named President, making him only the fourth person to serve in this capacity in the Bank's history. Wade succeeds a long line of strong talented bankers and he will continue to lead the Bank with the same sense of integrity the West Alabama community has come to know and trust.

Today, we’re just as dedicated to our customers and communities as we were when we first opened our doors. We look forward to a bright future and continued success as the bank that serves West Alabama and beyond.
 

Community Involvement

 

As a local bank, we’ve nurtured our communities for over 80 years, helping families, supporting local businesses, looking out for our neighbors and planting the roots for a brighter future. We think our community grows stronger when we all come together in support of each other. That’s why we champion the countless organizations dedicated to improving people’s lives. If it helps our community, we want to be a part of it.