This financial institution was chartered by the state of Texas on December 17, 1886, as the Greenville Building and Loan Association. The formation of the association came as a second railroad line was constructed to Greenville, signaling the future of Hunt County Seat as an important center for trade and commerce.
The original directors were Thomas Jefferson Gee, I. Popper, Ira D. Wyse, T. E. Byrd, Ephraim W. Briscoe, Frank P. Alexander, and Asher Mandelbaum. Many of the first directors and stockholders were individuals who had migrated to Greenville and became active leaders in its early development. Their belief in the town's potential was reflected in the establishment of the association, the second oldest continuing thrift institution in the state.
In the mid-1930s, during the height of the nation's economic depression, the directors successfully converted the association to a federal mutual savings and loan institution. Renamed Centennial Savings Bank in 1983, when it became a federally-chartered savings bank, the institution has continued to reflect the community support advocated by its founders.
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