First Busey Stock Price, News & Analysis

First Busey Corporation (Nasdaq: BUSE) is a financial holding company in the commercial banking industry, operating in the finance and insurance sector. According to its public disclosures, First Busey is headquartered in Leawood, Kansas and serves clients through a multi-segment model that combines traditional banking, wealth management, and payment technology services.

The company’s primary banking operations are conducted through Busey Bank, a wholly owned bank subsidiary headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Busey Bank operates dozens of banking centers in Central Illinois, suburban Chicago, the St. Louis metropolitan area, Southwest Florida, and Indianapolis. Following the acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. and CrossFirst Bank, First Busey also serves markets across Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, creating a commercial banking footprint across 10 states. The holding company continues under the First Busey Corporation name, and Busey common stock trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol BUSE.

Business segments and services

First Busey’s operations are organized into three main segments referenced in its public materials: Banking, FirsTech, and Wealth Management. The banking segment encompasses retail and commercial banking services delivered through Busey Bank and, for a period, through CrossFirst Bank as a separate banking subsidiary before its merger into Busey Bank. These services include deposit accounts, lending activities, and related fee-based services such as treasury management, card services and ATM fees, and other service charges on deposit accounts, as reflected in the company’s earnings releases.

The Wealth Management division of Busey Bank provides asset management, investment, brokerage, fiduciary, philanthropic advisory, tax preparation, and farm management services to individuals, businesses, and foundations. Company disclosures highlight that wealth management fees and related referral income represent a significant component of noninterest income and that assets under care have reached multi‑billion‑dollar levels, illustrating the scale of this fee-based business.

FirsTech, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Busey Bank, specializes in payment technology solutions. Public descriptions state that FirsTech focuses on the financial technology needs of small and medium-sized businesses, highly regulated enterprise industries, and financial institutions. Its services include online, mobile, and voice-recognition bill payments; money and data movement; merchant services; direct debit services; lockbox remittance processing for mailed payments; and walk-in payments at retail agents. FirsTech also supports client workflows through integrations that assist with billing, reconciliation, bill reminders, and treasury services.

Geographic footprint and growth

First Busey’s footprint has expanded through both organic growth and acquisitions. As of dates cited in its news releases, Busey Bank operated 62 banking centers across Central Illinois, suburban Chicago, the St. Louis metropolitan area, Southwest Florida, and Indianapolis. The acquisition of CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc., completed on March 1, 2025, added a network of banking centers in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Company communications describe this combination as creating a premier commercial bank in the Midwest, Southwest, and Florida with dozens of full-service locations and a diversified client, loan, and deposit base.

First Busey has also described its approach as a regional operating model focused on high-growth metro markets such as Kansas City, Wichita, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, and Phoenix. The company’s public statements emphasize that the CrossFirst transaction is intended to bolster commercial banking relationships and provide additional opportunities to grow its wealth management and payment technology businesses.

Financial profile and revenue mix

Earnings releases and rating agency reports indicate that First Busey generates revenue from a combination of net interest income and noninterest income. Net interest income is driven by interest-earning assets such as loans and investment securities, while noninterest income includes wealth management fees, payment technology solutions revenue, treasury management services, card services and ATM fees, other service charges on deposit accounts, mortgage revenue, income on bank-owned life insurance, and other noninterest income categories.

Company disclosures note that fee-based businesses, particularly wealth management and payment technology solutions, contribute a substantial share of adjusted noninterest income. Public commentary from the company and third-party rating agencies also references a diversified revenue base and a focus on balance sheet optimization, including actions to manage deposit costs, brokered funding, and net interest margin.

Capital markets and preferred stock

First Busey’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol BUSE. The company has also issued depositary shares, each representing a 1/40th interest in a share of its 8.25% Fixed-Rate Series B Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, which trade under the symbol BUSEP. SEC filings and press releases describe underwritten public offerings of these depositary shares and the use of proceeds, including the redemption of subordinated notes and support for balance sheet growth at Busey Bank.

Regular cash dividends on both common stock and preferred depositary shares are disclosed in Form 8‑K filings. For example, the company has reported quarterly cash dividends on common shares and on its Series B preferred depositary shares, and has announced increases to the common dividend over time.

Regulatory and corporate structure

First Busey Corporation is incorporated in Nevada and is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, with its filings identifying it as a financial holding company. Busey Bank is a wholly owned bank subsidiary, and for a period following the CrossFirst acquisition, CrossFirst Bank was operated as a separate banking subsidiary prior to its merger into Busey Bank. The holding company’s headquarters are in Leawood, Kansas, while Busey Bank’s headquarters remain in Champaign, Illinois.

Public communications emphasize the company’s focus on credit quality, liquidity, and capital strength, including references to regulatory capital ratios and asset quality metrics. Rating agency reports, such as those from KBRA, cite factors including earnings performance, asset quality, core deposit franchise characteristics, and capital ratios in their assessment of the company’s credit profile.

Recognition and corporate culture

First Busey and Busey Bank have been recognized in various rankings published by external organizations. Company news releases report inclusion among America’s Best Banks by Forbes, World’s Best Banks by Forbes, and multiple workplace and industry-specific “Best Places to Work” lists in states such as Illinois, Indiana, and Florida, as well as recognition by publications focused on money management and banking. In its own statements, the company links these recognitions to an engaged culture, integrity, and a commitment to community development.

Position within the banking sector

Within the commercial banking industry, First Busey describes itself as a full-service commercial bank with a diversified business model that combines a core deposit franchise, commercial lending, wealth management, and payment technology solutions. Its multi-state footprint across the Midwest, Southwest, and Florida, together with its fee-based businesses, shapes its profile as a regional financial holding company serving a range of retail, commercial, and institutional clients through banking centers and specialized service platforms.