First National Bank of Hico Banking the way neighbors do it.

First National Bank of Hico

Banking the way neighbors do it.

Latest Articles

The Second Set of Eyes: A Treasurer's Guide to Guarding a Small-Town Organization's Money
Community Banking

The Second Set of Eyes: A Treasurer's Guide to Guarding a Small-Town Organization's Money

Every church, 4-H club, and volunteer fire department in rural Texas has one officer who keeps the books—usually a volunteer with no accounting background and no appetite for the job. This guide covers dual control, designated funds, cash-handling routines, and a simple reconciliation loop that protects both the organization's money and the volunteer who watches over it.
The Feed Bucket and the Balance Sheet: Budgeting a First Stock Show Project in Central Texas
Community Banking

The Feed Bucket and the Balance Sheet: Budgeting a First Stock Show Project in Central Texas

A first 4-H or FFA livestock project can teach a young person more than how to fit an animal for show—it can teach the discipline of a budget. This guide walks Central Texas families through the real costs, the limits of borrowing, and how to keep the barn budget from spilling into the household ledger.
Passing the Wrench: A Retirement Blueprint for Texas Hardware Store Owners
Community Banking

Passing the Wrench: A Retirement Blueprint for Texas Hardware Store Owners

For a longtime Main Street hardware owner, retirement raises a harder question than price: who will keep the doors open and the shelves stocked? This guide outlines valuation, buyer qualification, financing choices, and a transition structure that protects the business, the employees, and the town it serves.
A Trusted Hand, Not a Second Owner: Setting Up Banking Help for an Aging Parent
Community Banking

A Trusted Hand, Not a Second Owner: Setting Up Banking Help for an Aging Parent

When an aging parent needs help with deposits, bills, and statements, the right banking authority matters as much as the willingness to help. This guide explains joint accounts, authorized signers, and powers of attorney so families in rural Texas can choose the narrowest authority that fits the task.
Weekend Receipts, Weekday Discipline: Safeguarding Cash from Friday Close to Monday Ledger
Community Banking

Weekend Receipts, Weekday Discipline: Safeguarding Cash from Friday Close to Monday Ledger

Cash collected after the Friday lobby closes still needs a plan. This guide compares night depository service, mobile deposit limits, dual-count procedures, and temporary safekeeping for Texas merchants, church treasurers, and event vendors, with a Monday reconciliation checklist to reduce loss and fraud.
The Second Signature: Weighing a Co-Signing Request in a Small Texas Town
Community Banking

The Second Signature: Weighing a Co-Signing Request in a Small Texas Town

A request to co-sign a loan can arrive over a kitchen table, at the feed store, or after church, and it often feels unneighborly to hesitate. Yet a second signature is a real financial obligation, not simply a vote of confidence. This guide explains what co-signing and guaranteeing mean, what a community bank reviews, and how to help without signing blindly.
Two Loans, Two Ledgers: How the Purpose of Your Borrowing Shapes Your Terms
Community Banking

Two Loans, Two Ledgers: How the Purpose of Your Borrowing Shapes Your Terms

A tractor and a pickup may cost about the same at the dealer, but a lender sees them very differently. Here's a plain explanation of collateral, depreciation, and loan-to-value ratios — and why matching the right loan to the right purchase can save a rural borrower real money.
When the Hobby Starts Paying: Getting Your Side Income in Order
Community Banking

When the Hobby Starts Paying: Getting Your Side Income in Order

Selling saddles online or catering a few weekend barbecues can turn serious before you notice. Here's how Central Texans can tell when a side income deserves its own account, its own records, and maybe its own name.
When the Hail Comes in May: Right-Sizing a Reserve Fund for Rural Texas Life
Community Banking

When the Hail Comes in May: Right-Sizing a Reserve Fund for Rural Texas Life

The standard advice to keep three to six months of expenses in savings assumes a steady paycheck and predictable costs. For households and small operations across Central Texas, one hailstorm, dry spell, or dead tractor can upend that math. Here is how to build a reserve that matches the way money actually moves in the country.
Five Checking Account Choices That Sink New Businesses Before They Start
Community Banking

Five Checking Account Choices That Sink New Businesses Before They Start

Opening a business checking account seems like the simplest step in launching a company — and it is often where new Texas entrepreneurs make their costliest mistakes. From commingled funds to overlooked credit access, here are five decisions worth getting right the first time.
Before the Separator Pump Starts Paying: A Landowner's Plan for Irregular Royalty Income
Home Loans

Before the Separator Pump Starts Paying: A Landowner's Plan for Irregular Royalty Income

Mineral royalties can transform a household budget overnight — but the checks rarely arrive on a schedule, and the tax bill certainly does. Here is how Erath County landowners can turn unpredictable oil and gas income into a stable financial footing.
A Ledger for the Little Ones: Passing Down Savings Habits, Not Just Savings
Community Banking

A Ledger for the Little Ones: Passing Down Savings Habits, Not Just Savings

Grandparents across Erath and Hamilton counties ask us the same question: how do I help my grandkids without stirring up trouble with their parents? This guide walks through custodial accounts, gifting etiquette, and the quiet power of a conversation held before the paperwork is signed.
Give Every Dollar a Drawer: Setting Up Digital Envelopes Before Sunday Supper
Community Banking

Give Every Dollar a Drawer: Setting Up Digital Envelopes Before Sunday Supper

The cash-envelope method has guided Texas households for generations, but tap-to-pay spending has made it harder to keep money in its place. Here is a practical, afternoon-long plan for rebuilding that discipline with sub-accounts, automated transfers, and card controls.
Before the Whole Family Gathers: Getting Your Affairs, Accounts, and Intentions in Order
Home Loans

Before the Whole Family Gathers: Getting Your Affairs, Accounts, and Intentions in Order

Land, businesses, and savings accounts don't transfer themselves — and too many Texas families discover that too late. A plain guide to the documents, conversations, and account arrangements that keep a legacy intact across generations.
Let Your Money Work in Shifts: Structuring Certificates and Savings Around the Central Texas Calendar
Community Banking

Let Your Money Work in Shifts: Structuring Certificates and Savings Around the Central Texas Calendar

Rate environments come and go, but disciplined savers are made by habit, not headlines. Here's how Central Texans can build a certificate ladder and bucket their savings around the dates that actually matter — property taxes, holidays, and harvest season included.
Community Banking

Before You Endorse That Check: A Plain-Spoken Guide to the Scams Targeting Texas Neighbors

Fraudsters work the phones and the mailbox hardest in rural Texas, where trust is a virtue and a handshake still means something. Learn the red flags behind counterfeit checks, fake grandchild calls, and phony invoices — and why the teller's second look matters more than ever.
When the App Can't Help You: Five Moments Where Your Neighborhood Bank Earns Its Keep
Community Banking

When the App Can't Help You: Five Moments Where Your Neighborhood Bank Earns Its Keep

Convenience apps have their place, but some banking problems simply cannot be solved by a chatbot. Here are five real-world situations where walking into a local branch beats tapping a screen—and why your money is better off for it.
Financing the Family Operation: A Practical Borrowing Guide for Texas Farms and Main Street Shops
Home Loans

Financing the Family Operation: A Practical Borrowing Guide for Texas Farms and Main Street Shops

From cattle operations to corner cafés, Texas small businesses have borrowing needs that national lenders often overlook. This guide walks through the loan types that matter locally, how community banks evaluate applications, and what to bring to your first meeting.
Before You Sign: A Central Texas Homebuyer's Checklist of Questions
Home Loans

Before You Sign: A Central Texas Homebuyer's Checklist of Questions

Buying your first home in Central Texas comes with questions most lenders don't volunteer answers to. From rural property tax quirks to down payment assistance, here are the seven questions to ask before you put pen to paper.
The Case for a Banker Who Remembers Your Grandkids' Names
Community Banking

The Case for a Banker Who Remembers Your Grandkids' Names

Algorithms can score your credit, but they can't look you in the eye or remember the cattle sale that paid off your truck loan. Here's why hometown banking still matters in Hamilton County — and always will.