TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
Neil Ferguson 
The First National Bank of Eldorado recently hired two seasoned community bankers. Andrew Sauer joined the bank as senior vice president on July 12. He will manage The First National Bank of Eldorado’s recently opened loan production office in Colorado City. He will also serve as an advisory director on the bank’s board of directors. … Read more
On July 15, McKinney-based Independent Bank Group Inc., the holding company for Independent Financial, expanded its executive leadership team with the appointment of John G. Turpen as executive vice president and chief risk officer, effective July 26. He will oversee the company’s enterprise risk management and compliance functions and support credit risk and administration. Turpen … Read more
Greg Lewis, executive vice president/chief deposit officer at Dallas-based MapleMark Bank, recently announced that Robert Ross has been hired to serve as senior treasury relationship manager. Ross will focus on expanding the bank’s presence throughout Texas, along with continuing to partner with specialized industries and escrow needs nationwide. With more than 10 years of experience … Read more
Mergers and Acquisitions The OCC reports that Sunflower Bank National Association, based in Denver, Colorado, has applied to acquire Pioneer Bank SSB, based in Austin. The TDB reports that First United Bank, based in Dimmitt, has applied to acquire First Bank and Trust of Childress, based in Childress. Corporate Title Change The OCC reports that TIB The Independent … Read more
Conversions The TDB reports that Ozona National Bank, based in Ozona, has converted to a Texas state-chartered bank under the name Ozona Bank. Home Office Relocation The TDB reports that Susser Bank has applied to relocate its home office from 500 Harwood in Bedford to 100 Crescent Ct., Ste. 575, in Dallas. Branches The OCC reports that Commercial … Read more
The Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) recently honored two trailblazers in Texas community banking with the organization’s 2021 Excellence in Leadership Award. Hazem Ahmed, Houston area president at Independent Financial, and Julie Courtney, CAE, CMP, president of IBAT Services Inc. in Austin, were presented this prestigious award during the association’s Connecting Leaders Conference held … Read more
On June 3, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) announced that Shay Iacoponelli has been elected president of the IBAT Education Foundation by the association’s board of directors. The IBAT Education Foundation helps “build better bankers” by offering education programs for community bankers at every stage of their career. IBAT’s education opportunities include IBAT’s … Read more
Minnesota-based Deluxe, a payments and business technology company that serves many community banks in Texas, has received an Emmy nomination for its reality series Small Business Revolution. The program focuses on Deluxe’s small-business expertise to boost struggling small businesses, giving them the tools and solutions to survive and grow. The nomination from the National Academy … Read more
IBC Bank–McAllen recently announced promotions in various departments within the financial institution. Janet Gonzalez was promoted to vice president and area sales manager in the retail banking department. She has been with IBC Bank since 2005. Gonzalez received a BA degree in economics from the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León. Her community involvement includes serving … Read more
Yaira Velez has joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas as an assistant vice president in the banking supervision department, where she will provide strategic leadership for the consumer affairs team. She previously served as manager of consumer affairs at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where she led nationwide projects to enhance the … Read more