First Bank (FRBA): Marketing Mix Analysis [Dec-2025 Updated]

You need a clear picture of First Bank (FRBA)'s late 2025 market position, so let's break down their four P's, focusing on the latest financial moves and strategic shifts. Honestly, what I see is a bank actively recalibrating its focus toward middle-market commercial clients while managing a tight funding environment, evidenced by a 105% loan-to-deposit ratio in Q2 and a 3.71% Net Interest Margin in Q3. We'll map out how their 27-branch footprint supports this, what products they are pushing, and how their promotion is changing to attract that quality loan growth. Stick with me; this analysis cuts straight to what matters for their near-term performance.

First Bank (FRBA) - Marketing Mix: Product

First Bank (FRBA) offers a full range of deposit and loan products to individuals and businesses throughout its markets, with total assets reaching $4.03 billion as of September 30, 2025. The bank continues its strategic evolution toward becoming a middle-market commercial bank.

The product strategy shows a strong concentration in specific commercial lending segments. Commercial & Industrial (C&I) loans and owner-occupied commercial real estate loans together comprised 42.2% of the total loan portfolio as of September 30, 2025, an increase from 40% one year prior. The total loan portfolio stood at $3.37 billion at that date.

Core deposit products are fundamental to funding operations, with total deposits at $3.22 billion as of September 30, 2025. The composition of these core deposits, which include checking, money market, and certificates of deposit, shows a shift in funding mix:

The bank provides various loan products beyond its commercial focus. The total loan portfolio of $3.37 billion at September 30, 2025, also includes residential mortgages and consumer auto/personal loans, alongside the dominant commercial segments. Investor commercial real estate loans, which encompass multifamily and construction and development, accounted for 49.8% of the loan portfolio.

Electronic banking services are definitely key to serving the modern customer base. First Bank (FRBA) offers mobile banking capabilities, which historically included the ability for customers to deposit checks remotely. The bank also provides online banking through its website and offers digital mortgage channels.

First Bank (FRBA) - Marketing Mix: Place

You're looking at how First Bank (FRBA) gets its services into the hands of its customers. For a bank, 'Place' is all about the physical and digital locations where you can actually do business. It's a mix of brick-and-mortar presence and digital accessibility, which is key for a regional player like First Bank (FRBA).

As of the second quarter of 2025, First Bank (FRBA) maintained a physical distribution network of 27 full-service physical branches. This network is strategically concentrated to serve a specific economic corridor. The bank's primary geographic footprint is anchored across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Honestly, the core of their physical presence is definitely concentrated in that vital New York City to Philadelphia corridor, which is where they focus their relationship banking efforts.

The bank has been actively expanding this physical reach, aiming to grow core deposits through new branch openings. For instance, recent activity included adding new locations in Trenton, NJ, and Media, PA, reinforcing their commitment to community proximity. This physical expansion works alongside their digital strategy to create an omnichannel delivery system. You can use their branch network, or you can rely on their robust digital and mobile platforms for banking on the go.

To give you a clearer picture of their footprint as of the mid-2025 reporting period, here's a look at the scale of their operations, using the latest available figures from their Q2 2025 report:

The distribution of these branches covers specific, high-value areas. You can see the geographic spread below, which highlights the concentration in the Northeast corridor:

• New Jersey locations include Cinnaminson, Delanco, Denville, Ewing, Fairfield, Flemington, Hamilton, Lawrence, Monroe, Morristown, Pennington, Randolph, Somerset, Trenton, and Williamstown.
• Pennsylvania locations include Coventry, Devon, Doylestown, Lionville, Malvern, Media, Paoli, Trevose, Warminster, and West Chester.
• Florida presence is noted with a single location in Palm Beach.

The omnichannel approach means that while the physical network is important for deep commercial relationships, digital access is crucial for convenience. First Bank (FRBA) supports this with electronic banking provisions. Here are the key digital access points that complement the physical branches:

• Internet-enabled banking services are available for account access.
• The mobile banking app, known as FB OnTheGo, allows anytime, anywhere access.
• Services include electronic bill payments and phone-banking options.
• Remote deposit capture procedures are facilitated for customer ease.

The strategy here is clearly about maintaining a strong, localized physical footprint in key markets while ensuring modern digital tools are available. If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises, so the digital platform needs to be smooth.

First Bank (FRBA) - Marketing Mix: Promotion

First Bank's promotional activities are directly supporting a strategic pivot toward becoming a middle-market commercial bank. This shift emphasizes relationship-building to secure profitable, quality loan growth.

Shareholder returns are being enhanced through prudent capital management. The declared quarterly cash dividend is $0.06 per share, confirmed for payments in 2025. The annualized dividend payout is $0.24 per share.

The focus on relationship-driven growth is evidenced in loan composition. Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and owner-occupied commercial real estate segments are leading the charge, which is the core of the middle-market strategy. The bank introduced specific promotional funding mechanisms, such as a series of Certificate of Deposit (CD) promotions, to strategically onboard funding to support this continued strong loan growth.

Promotional efforts are also tied to technological and physical infrastructure investments. The 2025 plan included watching for 'ongoing client-focused promotions' alongside improved online banking services for both business and consumer clients. Targeted promotions were specifically implemented to drive engagement with newly opened branch locations.

Branch optimization and consolidation efforts are actively underway, with new openings supplementing the refined footprint. Specific expansion activity in 2025 included:

• Expansion into Texas with a new loan production office.
• Addition of an additional branch in Cerritos, CA.
• New branch openings in Summit and Oceanport, New Jersey.
• The sale of the Paoli location, which included some excess corporate office space.

The third quarter report noted advances in branch expansion and optimization, including both new openings and branch consolidations.

First Bank (FRBA) - Marketing Mix: Price

Price pertains to the amount of money customers must pay to obtain the product. This element of the marketing mix involves strategizing on pricing policies, discounts, financing options, and potential credit terms that would make the product competitively attractive and accessible to the target market. Effective pricing strategies should reflect the perceived value of the product, align with the company's market positioning, and consider external factors like competitor pricing, market demand, and overall economic conditions.

First Bank (FRBA) actively manages its pricing structure to balance profitability and market competitiveness, particularly in the liability space to fund loan growth.

• Net Interest Margin (NIM) was 3.71% in Q3 2025, up 23 basis points year-over-year.
• Total deposits reached $3.22 billion as of September 30, 2025.
• Total loans were $3.33 billion as of June 30, 2025, showing strong growth.
• Loan-to-deposit ratio of 105% (Q2 2025) indicates a need for careful funding management.
• Pricing is competitive, particularly for deposits, to attract and maintain balances.

The pricing strategy for earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities is reflected in key yield and cost metrics from the third quarter of 2025.

The focus on relationship-driven deposit strategies supports the cost management noted above. Darleen Gillespie, Chief Retail Banking Officer, stated, 'Our goal is to continue to offer fair, market-aligned pricing supported by strong customer relationships and exceptional service.'

Further detail on the balance sheet components influencing pricing effectiveness includes:

• Total loans at September 30, 2025, were $3.37 billion.
• Total deposits at September 30, 2025, were $3.22 billion.
• Total interest income for Q3 2025 was $144,200 thousand.
• Total interest expense for Q3 2025 was $41,711 thousand.
• Net interest income for Q3 2025 was $102,489 thousand.
• Interest expense included about $486,000 in additional interest from subordinated debt redeemed September 1, 2025.