Our History

A History of Growth and Community Service

Northwest Bank opened its first office in Rockford at 3106 N. Rockton Avenue on April 21, 1972. Leading the way were the bank’s five founders— Theodore Ingrassia, William Earnest, William McKeever, John Graves and Louis Gilbert—who had a vision of providing the Rockford area with community banking services that customers could depend on.

Over the years, Northwest Bank expanded, opening our second location at 4932 N. Second St. in Loves Park, followed by our third location at 125 Phelps Ave. in Rockford.

In 2005, Northwest Bank brought services to Machesney Park when we opened our fourth office at 1100 Ralston Road. In October of 2010, our Loves Park office moved a couple blocks up the road to 5305 N. Second Street.

In the fall of 2012, Northwest Bank formed a partnership with Vision Mortgage, and the two groups combined to open the Northwest Bank Mortgage Office at 6724 Commonwealth Drive in Loves Park.

In October 2018, Northwest Bank expanded its services and opened a newly-built fifth branch location in Loves Park. The 12,000 square-foot facility at 4402 Peak Drive houses a full-service retail banking space with two drive-up lanes and an ATM. The full-service mortgage banking operations also moved from the Commonwealth Drive location to this new location. 

Northwest Bank has been part of Foresight Financial Group since 1989. This relationship provides valuable services while allowing us to maintain independence for our customers.