About Us

In 1970, farmer and outdoorsman Virgil Lair began his banking career by purchasing the Stark State Bank in Stark, Kansas.  Having a great aptitude for business and banking, Virgil quickly grew his banking enterprise by purchasing Home State Bank in Erie in 1972.  The 1980s brought the addition of banks in Chetopa, Neodesha, Thayer, and Chanute.  As his children graduated from college and came back to the farm and banks, additional branches in Parsons, Fall River, Longton, and Howard were added.  On January 1, 2020, all banks were merged and rebranded as Bank of Commerce.  The mid-2020s brought on additional branches in the rural communities of Burden, Oxford, Gas, and Yates Center.
At Bank of Commerce, we pride ourselves on our knowledge and support of small communities, small business, and family farms.  Virgil was often quoted as saying ‘Smaller banks like ours can give you more personal attention, more personal interest, and can respond to your needs quickly’.
Today, Bank of Commerce is still owned and operated by the Lair family.  As a local community bank, Bank of Commerce is a proud part of the communities we serve. 
By banking with a community bank, you will find:

• You help the local community:  You help support the local economy because borrowers and small businesses in our area rely on us for loans.  Keeping your dollars deposited locally helps us do just that.  Living where we work allows us to provide volunteers, funds, programs, and so much more to organizations and businesses within our communities.
• You get personal service:  We pride ourselves in our customer service.  When you have questions or problems, our employees, your neighbors, are more than happy to assist.  You will always be able to talk with an actual person over the phone or drop in (without an appointment) for a face-to-face conversation.
• Quick loan decisions:   Loan approvals are made locally, by people who live in your community and understand your needs.  This allows us to make you the loan you need (based upon your qualifications), when you need it.

Bank of Commerce consistently provides safety and soundness to our customers by maintaining strong capital and liquidity as well as a stout balance sheet. We are proud to be a Kansas community bank and have and will remain loyal to our roots in local communities by continuing to provide full-service community banking.