Terrell-based American National Bank of Texas (ANBTX) celebrated its new loan production office in Fair Park with a grand opening ceremony on December 10. The LPO, located at 820 Exposition Ave., was first announced in June as part of ANBTX’s ongoing efforts to bring opportunities and investment to Southern Dallas County.
The new location, which serves as the home for the bank’s community development team, along with a team of commercial and mortgage lenders, supports financial education, small business and job creation and offers various lending options, such as the Ignite Home Loan, to make homeownership possible and affordable.
“We’re excited to open our South Dallas Loan production office and provide best-in-class financial services to the community and its residents, whether it be through economic support, financial education or volunteerism,” says Marcelo Mills, emerging markets president. “Our community development team has worked tirelessly over the past two years to build relationships with local organizations and community leaders, and our new location will help us strengthen those connections and build new ones so that we can meet the unique needs of this historically underserved market.”
The grand opening ceremony included a ribbon-cutting and featured a lineup of distinguished public officials and community leaders, including Texas State Senator Royce West and Dallas Councilmember Adam Bazaldua. Food was provided by longtime ANBTX customer Soulman’s Bar-B-Que, which was founded in Pleasant Grove 50 years ago and has been a customer of the bank for more than three decades.
“We believe in the positive power of local partnerships here in North Texas, and American National Bank of Texas has witnessed and supported our growth for more than 30 years,” says Brett Randle, CEO of Soulman’s Bar-B-Que. “ANBTX’s location in Fair Park is sure to help other community members and businesses succeed and, as a fellow independently owned organization, we fully celebrate their bright future.”
In addition to the new loan production office, ANBTX supports Southern Dallas County through affordable homeownership, charitable giving and financial education. Highlights include:
- More than $3.9 million invested through ANBTX’s Ignite Home Ownership, originating 280 Ignite Home Loans (totaling more than $90 million in mortgage funding) since the program launched in January 2023.
- More than $800,000 in donations to 20 community organizations to support long-term revitalization efforts. The bank specifically supported the Builders of Hope Community Development Corp.’s Homebuyers Resource Center in the Shops at RedBird.
- The expansion of ANBTX’s popular homebuyer education series to include seminars at Cornerstone Baptist Church and South Side on Lamar. ANBTX joined Good Urban Development, a joint venture between Urban Specialists Inc. and Matthews Southwest to educate prospective homebuyers at Mill City 50, a housing development in the Mill City neighborhood in East Dallas.
“As the state senator representing Southern Dallas for more than 30 years, I am excited to see more banking institutions invest in South Dallas and more specifically, Fair Park,” Senator West says. “Homeownership is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and creating generational wealth and I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits of ANBTX’s programs on our community.”
“For almost 150 years, we’ve gone where the need is the greatest and worked with our customers to fill that need,” notes Robert Hulsey, president and CEO of ANBTX. “Our new Fair Park loan production office is the latest example of our dedication, and we’re excited to work alongside our community partners to bring long-term investment and opportunity to South Dallas.”
Established in 1875, American National Bank of Texas operates 30 locations throughout North Texas, serving Collin, Dallas, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Rockwall, Tarrant and Van Zandt counties.
