TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
Neil Ferguson 
Doug Foster, board director/chairman of the audit committee at Moulton-based SouthStar Bank SSB and director of affairs at Polunsky Beitel Green LLP, was recently elected chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University (TRERC), effective January 1, 2024. He was originally appointed to the TRERC in 2021 … Read more
Longtime Texas banker and rancher John A. Cole of Lampasas passed away on December 24, 2023, in Dallas at the age of 92. Born in 1931 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he held a BS degree and MS degree in geological engineering from the University of Oklahoma, then went on to earn an MBA degree from … Read more
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma-based InterBank’s longtime CEO Pascal Hosch retired at the end of 2023. He will continue to serve on the board of directors of both the bank and its holding company, Olney Bancshares of Texas Inc. The bank has tapped C.K. Lee to succeed Hosch. Hosch began his career at InterBank 30 years ago … Read more
On December 26, El Paso-based WestStar Bank announced a three-year extension with the Sun Bowl Association to sponsor the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational. Initially signed in 2009, the renewed partnership will run through 2026. “The Don Haskin’s Sun Bowl Invitational is a holiday tradition, and we are happy to help keep an El Paso tradition … Read more
Nacogdoches-based Commercial Bank of Texas has promoted Jessica Hawkins to community president for Anderson County. She has been part of the Commercial Bank of Texas team for the past 18 years and has served as Anderson County branch manager since 2015, overseeing operations at branches in Palestine and Elkhart. Prior to moving to Anderson County, … Read more
Odessa-based SouthWest Bank has announced recent appointments to its board of directors. Melanie Hollmann , a partner at the law firm of Atkins, Hollmann, Jones, Peacock, Lewis & Lyon, joined the board in 2023. Micah Foster, chief financial officer for VoltaGrid, was recently appointed as an advisory board member. Hollmann’s law practice focuses on corporate … Read more
On January 3, the Texas Bankers Hall of Fame announced its 2024 inductees who will be honored at the 11th Annual Texas Bankers Hall of Fame Gala, April 25 on the campus of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Five iconic bankers—James E. Baine, the late Harlan R. Heitkamp, Carmen Jordan, Vidal H. Ramirez and … Read more
Following a national search, William T. Chittenden, Ph.D., has been selected president and CEO of the SW Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) Foundation, headquartered at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business in Dallas. Chittenden, whose new role took effect earlier this month, most recently served as chief academic officer of SWGSB and associate … Read more
In December, Midland-based West Texas National Bank announced that is expanding into Plainview and Lockney, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The bank opened its Lubbock location at 6502 Slide Rd. last August. This month, it opened a temporary full-service branch in Plainview and a loan and deposit production office in Lockney. The bank’s Plainview branch … Read more
On December 14, Dallas-based Comerica Bank announced that it has exceeded its three-year $5 billion small-business lending commitment launched in 2021. Through 2023 third-quarter earnings, Comerica Bank achieved 102 percent of its commitment since the bank’s initial announcement. The impact of this commitment has supported more than 15,000 small businesses across the bank’s footprint. “Small … Read more