Peoples State Bank’s online banking, mobile banking, Zelle and telephone banking go dark at 4:00 p.m. Central on Friday, Dec. 4, and stay off through the conversion weekend, while customers in Wisconsin move onto Bank First’s systems. Peoples locations reopen Monday, Dec. 7 as Bank First, the day digital banking returns.
The bank-to-bank handoff is laid out on Bank First’s Peoples merger page, which says the system conversion “will occur over the weekend of December 5, 2026” and that on Dec. 7 “Peoples State Bank will officially join Bank First.” A mailed welcome guide, account disclosures and the new debit card are due to arrive in November.
Which Peoples services go down, and in what order
The merger page shows the shutdown happening in steps. Bill Pay is the first to go: Peoples Bill Pay is available until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3. Payees and future-dated and recurring payments transfer to Bank First, but payment history does not, so past records need to be saved beforehand.
Online and mobile banking follow at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4. Bank First’s welcome guide adds that Zelle and telephone banking are disabled at the same hour. Branches close at their regular time that Friday and stay closed Saturday, Dec. 5.
On Monday, Dec. 7, Peoples offices open under the Bank First name, and online and mobile banking are restored. Bank First Bill Pay and telephone banking also come back that day, according to the guide.
What happens to the debit card on Dec. 7?
Peoples cards keep working through Sunday, Dec. 6: the merger page says the Peoples State Bank card can be used through Sunday, December 6, 2026. The new Bank First card should not be used before Dec. 7, the day it can be activated. Any recurring payment charged to the old card has to be moved to the new number for charges dated on or after Dec. 7.
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Card numbers change, so a utility, a streaming service or a pharmacy refill billed to the old card all need the new number. The guide says the ATM network also changes from Allpoint to MoneyPass on Dec. 7.
The guide gives the activation step: the new card is activated by phone at 1-800-992-3808 starting Dec. 7, and the cardholder can keep the current PIN or set a new one. The Peoples card should be securely destroyed that day. Business cardholders use the CardValet app instead. Personal cardholders manage card controls in Bank First online or mobile banking from Dec. 8.
Account numbers, routing numbers and checks stay put
Account numbers do not change unless a customer is contacted otherwise. Because the number is unavailable in online banking during the conversion, the bank advises saving it beforehand. The Peoples routing number is unchanged and still works, and Bank First lists its own routing number as 075901134.
Existing Peoples checks can be used after the merger until it is time to reorder, and new checks will carry the Bank First name. Direct deposits, automatic payments and loan payments continue, and up to three years of eStatement history moves over. The final paper statement from Peoples is dated Dec. 4.
First login at Bank First, and when fees start
Peoples online profiles transfer automatically, so no re-enrollment is needed. The first Bank First login requires a password reset using the account number, email address and last name on file. The guide says to confirm a current phone number is on the account before Dec. 4, since verification codes go there, and that Face ID and Touch ID will not work on the first login.
Service charges are waived for six months for personal and business accounts, and for three months for Treasury Management, the guide says. It adds that standard Bank First fees begin June 1. CDs and loans keep their rates and terms until maturity, and CDs renew under Bank First’s terms at that point.
Money that has to keep flowing through the gap
The weekend gap matters most to households that depend on a steady deposit. Direct deposits continue through the conversion, according to the bank, but the balance cannot be checked online from the afternoon of Dec. 4 until Dec. 7. Anyone with a bill due in that stretch, including a mortgage, rent or insurance payment, has to schedule it by 3:00 p.m. on Dec. 3, or arrange another way to pay.
The bank’s own checklist is short: watch the mail for the welcome guide in early November, save the account number and payment records, update card-linked payments for Dec. 7 and plan for a card number that changes. Branch contact details are on the merger page, which points to the bankpeoples.com locations list before the conversion and the bankfirst.com locations list afterward. Customers who cannot reach a branch can use the (888) 929-9902 number the bank gives for anyone without online or mobile banking.
Is benefit money protected if the account is frozen after the switch?
A bank conversion reshuffles card numbers, payees and logins within days, and a missed payment or a creditor action during that window can leave a balance tied up with no online view of it. For people whose account holds Social Security, the question is what a collector can and cannot reach.
The Bank Account & Debt Protection Kit explains the 2-month bank protection rule and the frozen-account response, so there is a plan before a hold appears. Its 75 pages include a debt inventory, call log and deadline tracker for keeping a collector’s notices straight.
Get the frozen-account response steps and debt tracker before the bank switch →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
