On December 8, Bowie-based Legend Bank announced the appointment of six new members to its board of directors. All are members of the Legend Bank executive team and join Jay Bearden, president and CEO, Todd McMurray, chief financial officer, and Toni Lucky, chief retail officer, on the board.
“Their experience with Legend Bank and our customers, employees and communities is crucial to help us fulfill our mission of enriching the lives of our stakeholders by providing Legendary financial services and resources,” says Dr. Fred Renfro, board chairman.
Jeff Brooks, chief lending officer/executive vice president, has been in banking for more than 28 years and has served Legend Bank customers and employees for 16 years. As the chief lending officer, he oversees commercial and mortgage lending for all 13 Legend Bank locations. He is a graduate of Baylor University and the Texas Banking Association Lending School.
John Lee, chief credit officer/executive vice president, has been in banking since 1990 when he began his career as a national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He continued his career as a senior credit officer and commercial lender in multiple North Texas banks. He has been with Legend Bank for more than 12 years and oversees credit analysis, consumer lending, loan and mortgage operations, loan review, compliance/BSA/CRA, audit and enterprise risk management. Lee received his BBA degree in finance from the University of Texas and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.
Jodie Payne, chief operations officer/executive vice president, has been in banking for more than 40 years and has been with Legend Bank for eight years. She began her banking career as a teller and has spent the majority of her career overseeing deposit and account operations. As the Chief operations officer, she is responsible for deposit operations, customer care, electronic banking, core systems, information technology and fraud loss prevention.
Mike Rigby, south regional president/executive vice president, a Texas Bankers Hall of Fame honoree and 2022 Tarrant County Bankers Association “Banker of the Year,” has been in banking for more than 47 years and has served Legend Bank customers since 2017. He is the chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas board of directors and also serves on the board of the Council of the Federal Home Loan Banks in Washington, D.C. He previously served as board chairman of the Texas Bankers Association and is a member of the Past Chairman’s Council. Rigby is responsible for overseeing the lending at Legend Bank’s Tarrant County branches in North Richland Hills and Fort Worth.
Bret Meekins, west regional president/executive vice president, has been with Legend Bank for 35 years and has provided specialized experience in Montague County and surrounding areas. His knowledge of the communities the bank serves and his strong agricultural background has helped make Legend Bank one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. As west regional president, Meekins is responsible for overseeing the lending in Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona and surrounding areas. He is also responsible for shareholder relations.
Matt Brown, east regional president/executive vice president, has been in banking for 20 years and has served Legend Bank customers for five years. As the east regional president, he is responsible for overseeing the lending in Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitesboro, Whitewright and surrounding locations. Brown is a graduate of Austin College and holds an MBA degree from the University of North Texas. He is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and obtained a Wharton Leadership certificate.
“The appointment of these Legend Bank executives to our board of directors is so important to the future of our community bank,” Bearden says. “Each of our board members helps guide and direct the organization to accomplish our vision to enrich our communities with legendary culture, character and innovation.
Established in 1890, Legend Bank NA has 13 locations throughout North Texas.
