Midfirst Bank: Hiring, Background Check & Employment Verification FAQs

MidFirst Bank's roots trace back to 1954, when Oklahoma banker W.R. Johnston purchased a 50% share in Midland Mortgage Company, an Oklahoma City-based mortgage business. By 1963, Johnston and his son-in-law, George Records, had acquired full ownership of the company. In 1982, Midland Financial Co. purchased a recently formed charter bank in Stilwell, Oklahoma, renamed it MidFirst Bank, and relocated it to Oklahoma City, establishing the modern MidFirst Bank name and structure that continues today under the ownership of the Records family.

MidFirst has grown significantly through a series of strategic acquisitions, including Community Bank of Arizona and Union Bank (both in the Phoenix area) in 2009, Denver-based Steele Street Bank & Trust in 2015, and 1st Century Bancshares in Southern California in 2016. G. Jeffrey Records Jr. has served as chairman, continuing more than seventy years of family ownership and leadership dating back to the Midland Mortgage origins. In 2026, MidFirst announced a major expansion of its Oklahoma City headquarters, underscoring its long-term commitment to the city where the company began.

Today, MidFirst Bank holds more than $41 billion in assets, making it the largest privately owned bank in the nation, and operates banking locations across Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. The bank's divisions include Midland Mortgage, MidFirst Business Credit, 1st Century Bank, and the online-only Vio Bank. MidFirst's workforce includes bank tellers and customer service representatives, mortgage loan officers and processors, commercial and private banking relationship managers, and wealth management professionals.

Company culture and employee programs: MidFirst emphasizes deep community ties and long-term stability as a benefit of its family-owned, privately held structure, distinguishing it from publicly traded banking competitors. The bank has made significant community investments, including as a founding partner of the Oklahoma City Thunder and through its "Cause Card" charitable giving program, which has donated millions of dollars to local nonprofits. Benefits, training, and advancement opportunities can vary by role and location, so candidates should confirm specifics with a recruiter during the hiring process.

Yes. Employers in the banking and financial services industry, including MidFirst Bank, are legally required to conduct thorough background checks on employee candidates, given federal banking regulations in addition to standard employment screening. In the United States, employment screening is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which requires employers to obtain written consent, provide disclosures, and follow adverse action procedures.

MidFirst Bank is generally reported to conduct background checks as part of its hiring process, which is both standard practice and a regulatory requirement for banking institutions, particularly given federal restrictions on employing individuals with certain criminal convictions in FDIC-insured institutions.

The hiring process for teller and banking roles at MidFirst typically includes an application, one or more interviews, and a background check prior to a final offer, consistent with federal banking industry requirements.

Background check timelines can vary based on the type of screening requested and how quickly records can be verified. Learn more about typical background check turnaround times to understand what factors can affect the process.

A typical pre-employment background check for a banking role may include:

Under the FCRA, criminal history reporting is generally limited to seven years for most background checks, though the Federal Deposit Insurance Act imposes its own separate, often more extensive lifetime restrictions on banking employment for individuals convicted of crimes involving dishonesty, breach of trust, or money laundering.

Hiring decisions involving candidates with criminal records are generally made on a case-by-case basis, but federal banking law under Section 19 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act prohibits FDIC-insured banks like MidFirst from employing individuals with certain convictions, particularly those involving dishonesty or breach of trust, without prior regulatory approval. Some states have adopted "ban-the-box" laws that may apply differently in heavily regulated banking contexts.

Candidates can generally expect to provide personal information such as full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number, along with signed consent authorizing the background check, in compliance with FCRA requirements and applicable federal banking regulations.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that regulates how employers can use background check information in hiring decisions. It requires employers to notify candidates before running a check, obtain written consent, and follow specific adverse action procedures if a decision is made based on background check results.

Running a personal background check with Checkr lets you preview what MidFirst Bank may see during the hiring process, helping you address any concerns before you apply. A personal background check can include:

Learn more about Checkr Personal Background Checks and explore your Checkr Profile to see what information may appear in your own background check.

If you're a candidate with a background check in progress through Checkr as part of your application to MidFirst Bank or another employer, you can check your status through the Candidate Portal. For additional support, visit the Checkr Help Center.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All information is for general informational purposes only. Checkr does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. This article may contain links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader. Checkr does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites and disclaims any affiliation with the companies mentioned in this article unless otherwise stated.