On January 13, 1868, three men opened the Busey Brothers and Company Bank. One of the three was Dr. W. R. Earhart; the other two were brothers, Simeon Busey and the Bank's first president, Colonel Samuel T. Busey. The Bank was Samuel Busey's brainchild and it is his name that is remembered when the origins of Busey Bank are mentioned.

Samuel Busey was one of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois' leading citizens. He is characterized in Champaign County history as a "soldier, banker, patriot, and public-spirited citizen." Samuel Busey served as mayor of Urbana, Illinois, president of the Urbana Board of Education and congressman from the 15th District of Illinois.

The Bank opened in 1868 under the name of Busey Brothers and Company. Earhart, Simeon and Samuel Busey invested $11,000 to open Busey Brothers and Company. The Bank's ledger shows the pioneer financiers took in $9,555.60 in deposits on their first day of business.

Earhart sold his interest in the Bank to his partners the next year and it became the Busey Brothers Bank. In 1877, Matthew W. Busey, the Colonel's nephew and a bookkeeper at the Bank, purchased Earhart's share.

Samuel was president of the Bank from its inception until 1888 when he sold his interest to Matthew and Matthew’s brother, George. Matthew assumed the position of president after the sale.

In 1904, the Bank moved from its original location to Main and Race Streets. The Bank received its state charter in 1913 and became Busey's State Bank. When Matthew Busey died in 1932, his son Paul succeeded him as President. A year later, Guy Tawney, a son-in-law of Colonel Busey, was elected Chairman of the Bank's Board of Directors. In 1945, the Bank received its federal charter and became Busey First National Bank.

The 1970's would represent the first time in history a Busey did not hold controlling interest in the Bank. In the spring of 1971, Catherine Jane Klassen, granddaughter of Samuel T. Busey and the last descendant directly involved with the Bank's management, sold her interest to a young man named Douglas C. Mills.

Doug Mills was committed to maintaining the tradition of community involvement and financial integrity. Through this commitment, Busey has maintained its reputation for strength and stability throughout its entire history.

In September of 2006 First Busey Corporation and Main Street Trust, Inc. announced a merger of equals transaction to combine the operations of the two community banks. The merger of the holding companies was completed on July 31, 2007. The New Busey opened for business on November 13, 2007.

Main Street Bank & Trust traces its roots back to the time of the Civil War, when a law firm in Champaign County evolved into the first of our community banks in 1860. The banking presence emerged in Decatur in 1873 with capital stock of $100,000.

Today, First Busey Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Urbana, Illinois, providing a full range of financial services to more than 71,000 households. First Busey Corporation has more than 3,000 Shareholders including its associates who own approximately 10% of the outstanding shares through their benefit plans.

First Busey Corporation has two banking subsidiaries, Busey Bank and Busey Bank, N.A. The flagship, Busey Bank, continues to be headquartered in Urbana, Illinois and serves Champaign, McLean, Macon, Ford, Peoria, Shelbyville and Tazewell Counties in Illinois with 45 banking centers, and operates one banking center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Busey Bank, N.A. is headquartered in Port Charlotte, Florida, and has nine Florida banking centers in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. Fort Myers, Florida, houses a Busey Bank loan production office. Busey also provides electronic delivery of financial services through Busey ebank at www.busey.com.

Busey Wealth Management was formed in 2007, as a result of the merger between First Busey Corporation and Main Street Trust, Inc. That transaction resulted in the consolidation of two premiere wealth advisory organizations, First Busey Trust and Investment Company and Main Street Wealth Management.

A state chartered and federally insured full service financial services institution offering products and services in Business Banking, Personal Banking and Wealth Management, Busey Bank has more than $4.5 billion in banking assets. The new Busey Wealth Management has combined financial assets under care of more than $4.8 billion, making Busey Wealth Management one of the largest bank owned wealth management firms in the country.

Busey is committed to attracting and retaining talented and knowledgeable associates to better serve its customers. Busey recognizes that ongoing training and knowledge is critical to its reputation and success and encourages associates to obtain financial designations and further education.

Today, nearly 1,000 associates are committed to high standards of excellence and make up the foundation that benefits Busey's customers, shareholders, associates and their communities today and in the future.