Nebraska Bank of Commerce (NBC) was formed initially as Community Bank of Lincoln (CBL) in 2008 by a group of experienced Nebraska bankers working in partnership with an out of state bank holding company.  The goal of that founding was to bring together a group of local investors who would invest their own capital to support the initial growth of the bank by bringing their business to the bank, focusing on true community banking.  As the financial downturn hit the banking industry, the leaders of CBL found themselves in need of a new partner to continue the growth and profitability of the organization.

In 2010 a group of experienced bankers, led by Lee Stuart, Ben Harris and David Hadani, acquired a controlling interest in CBL and promptly changed the name to NBC in homage to the Stuart family’s flagship Lincoln bank that had been sold to Wells Fargo in 2000.  The “old” NBC had been Lincoln’s largest bank at the time of its sale, having been built over the better part of a century in Nebraska, and the new name would be a reminder of the roots and history the Stuart and Harris clans have had upon the business and political landscape of Nebraska. 

Along with a new name came new capital, new direction and new leadership.  Joel Clements was the first employee and hired at Community Bank of Lincoln in 2007.  Joel has served as a commercial banker and key leader within the bank and was promoted to President & CEO in 2023. Brad Korell, former President of the old NBC assumed a role as a member of the Board of Directors, along with former Lincoln Mayor, Louis “Bill” Harris.  They were joined by Matt McNair, formerly a senior executive at University of Nebraska Foundation and the former Deputy Attorney General of Nebraska and Laura Meyer Dick, Vice Chairman of First National Bank of Hutchinson Kansas.  With Bill Harris’ untimely passing in 2011, Nelnet CEO, Jeff Noordhoek, joined the Board in his place. After Jeff Noordhoek left the Board to join the FHLB Board, Bill Ellerbee of Lincoln Industries and John Kalu Osiri, Director of International Business at UNL joined the Board. The addition of such experienced and influential bankers and Nebraskans has been of immeasurable assistance to NBC’s growth and development.

NBC’s leaders have continued to build upon the core beliefs of its founders, as well as the history and culture that was built by the Stuart family at the old NBC.  A culture of providing excellent service, hiring good people and letting them do their jobs and always working for the best interests of our clients first.  Along with that focus, NBC and its small team of professionals work in various area of the community to support a number of non-profit organizations, as a community bank should.