ChoiceOne Financial Services, Inc. and County Bank Corp. jointly announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which County will combine with ChoiceOne in a strategic merger of equals. The agreement was approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The combined bank holding company will be headquartered in Sparta, with the combined company's senior leadership and operations based in both Sparta and Lapeer. The combined company will be led by Paul Johnson will serve as the Chairman of the board of directors of the surviving corporation, Bruce Cady will serve as the Vice Chairman of the board of directors of the surviving corporation, Kelly Potes will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the surviving corporation, and Michael Burke, Jr. will serve as the President of the surviving corporation. The Board of Directors of the combined holding company will be comprised of 14 directors, consisting of seven directors designated by ChoiceOne and seven directors designated by County.