HBT Financial is a community bank holding company headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois. Through its subsidiary Heartland Bank and Trust, HBT Financial provides banking services to consumers, businesses, and municipal entities across Illinois and eastern Iowa, operating 66 branch locations. The core business is traditional community banking: taking deposits and making loans, primarily in commercial real estate, small and middle-market business lending, agricultural lending, and residential mortgages. HBT Financial also runs a wealth management business offering trust, estate, investment, and farmland management services — reflecting its deep roots in rural, agricultural Illinois. The bank's primary revenue driver is net interest income, supplemented by fee income from mortgage banking and wealth management. HBT Financial originates and sells conventional residential mortgages to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, retaining servicing rights. The bank's profitability argument centers on its low-cost deposit base, built from leading deposit market share in central Illinois mid-sized markets where large national banks have limited presence. HBT Financial has been controlled by the Drake family since 1920 and has grown through organic expansion and community bank acquisitions. The most recent completed deal, Town and Country Financial in 2023, added roughly $937M in assets and expanded the footprint into the metro-east St. Louis area. HBT Financial operates through a relationship-based, branch-driven model with local lenders serving small and mid-sized markets across Illinois.