1st Bank of Sea Isle City was formed in 1888 as Sea Isle Building and Loan, when the founding fathers of Sea Isle City saw the need to promote home-ownership among area residents. As a building and loan, we opened simple savings accounts and loaned the money for homes. We started small, like all businesses do – even operating out of someone’s home! At that time, Sea Isle City was mainly rural pasture and miles of unexplored seashore.