Est. 1915 · Crystal Lake, Illinois
A bank that has to live with its decisions.
Home State Bank opened in Crystal Lake in 1915, and our headquarters has been at 40 Grant Street since 1961. Today that's 111 years, five McHenry County branches, and a mortgage office in Appleton, Wisconsin. We keep many of our loans on our own books and fund nonprofits within ten miles of a branch. That's not a marketing position. It's what a community bank is.
What we believe about lending
The person who approves your loan should be someone you could run into at the hardware store.
National lenders are built to move loans. We're built to keep them. That means our underwriters can use judgment, our loan officers can promise what they can deliver, and the address on your statement never changes.
1961
headquartered at 40 Grant Street, Crystal Lake, ever since
5 + 1
McHenry County branches, plus the Appleton, WI mortgage office
4 ways
to place a loan: portfolio, Fannie Mae direct, investors, brokered
17 yrs
as the county's #1 business lender
Since 1915 · Crystal Lake, Illinois
111 years of knowing whose house that is.
A mortgage is a thirty-year relationship. We've been keeping ours in McHenry County for more than a century, and now in Wisconsin's Fox Valley too: the same hometown, the same address since 1961, and a giving mission that funds nonprofits within ten miles of a branch.
1915
Chartered Sept. 29. William Pinnow, also Crystal Lake's mayor, is the first president.
1932
Through the Depression, Home State becomes the only bank in Crystal Lake.
1947
72 N. Williams St. remodeled; employment at an all-time high.
1961
Moves to its current home at 40 Grant St.
1982
Route 14 banking facility opens; assets reach $82 million.
2023
Ribbon cutting for the 611 S. Main St. banking center.
Recognized locally, which is the point
- #1 Business Lender in McHenry County · 17 consecutive years, 2008–2025 (FFIEC CRA data)
- NW Herald Top Workplace · 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025
- United Way Community Impact Award · 2023
- Crystal Lake Chamber Banking Partner of the Year · 2020–21
- Home of the Sparrow Spirit of Home Award · 2025
- McHenry County EDC Business Champion · 2015
- Pride in Crystal Lake Award · 2015
- Robert O. Covey Business of the Year · 2005
“A bank that keeps its loans has to live with its decisions. We think that’s exactly how a lender should feel.”
Leadership
Names you'll see in the lobby.
Ryan P. Farrell
President & Chief Executive Officer
CPA and attorney; President since 2024, CEO since 2026.
Steven L. Slack
Vice Chairman
President & CEO, 2001–2024.
Christopher M. Morrow
Chairman of the Board
Director since 1986.
Robert L. Cormier Jr.
Executive Vice President & COO
Jim Sorenson
Executive Vice President, Mortgage Lending
Leads the mortgage team; with the bank since 2005.
Next step
Ready to talk to a lender who can actually decide?
Start the application online, or call and ask for the mortgage department. Either way, a real human in Crystal Lake or Appleton takes it from there.