Wells County, Indiana, a county in the Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn, IN market, holds $621M in deposits across 6 insured institutions and 7 branches. First Bank of Berne is the largest deposit holder at 35.4% share. The top three institutions hold 68.5% of deposits, which places the county in the concentrated band. Deposits have grown 15.1% since 2020 while the branch count fell by 1. It produces $1.2B of output, ranking #1,139 of the 1,523 counties within a CSA or MSA by economic output.
Deposit trend
Branches: 8 in 2020 to 7 in 2025. Institutions: 7 to 6. Top-three share: 65.1% to 68.5%.
Leading institutions by deposits
| Institution | Deposits | Share | 5‑yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Bank of Berne | $220M | 35.4% | +100% |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $103M | 16.6% | -1% |
| The Farmers & Merchants State Bank | $102M | 16.5% | no 2020 presence |
| First Merchants Bank | $95M | 15.4% | -26% |
| 1st Source Bank | $54M | 8.7% | +7% |
| Flagstar Bank, National Association | $46M | 7.4% | +46% |
The 6 insured institutions with a branch presence in this county, as of June 30, 2025. Five-year change compares the same institution’s county deposits in 2020 and 2025. Institutions are tracked by FDIC certificate number, and where an institution acquired another bank, the acquired bank’s prior deposits are folded into the baseline so the change reflects the combined, continuing franchise rather than reading as new. Even so, a large gain can reflect acquisition rather than competitive growth; “no 2020 presence” means neither the institution nor a bank it later absorbed reported deposits in this county that year.
Part of the Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn market
Wells County is one of 8 counties that make up the Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn, IN market, a Combined Statistical Area (ranked #87 of 293 U.S. markets by economic output). It produces 3.3% of the market’s output and holds 4.1% of its deposits.
| Measure | Wells County | Share of Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn market |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GDP | $1.2B | 3.3% |
| Deposits | $621M | 4.1% |
| Population | 28,883 | 4.3% |
View the full Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn market profile →
Recruiting in Wells County
Deposits are held closely by the largest banks, which often means the bankers worth recruiting are inside a small number of institutions. Who holds the deposits, and how contested the market is, shapes both the runway for growth and the competition you would be recruiting against. We recruit commercial relationship managers, banking teams, and market leaders for banks building in markets like Wells County, on a retained basis.
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