TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
On February 10, Austin-based Kasasa, a financial technology and marketing provider, announced the return of Dave Prost as the organization’s chief sales officer. He brings more than 30 years of sales leadership experience, 14 of which were spent shaping Kasasa’s sales strategy. Prost first joined Kasasa as national sales director in 2007. His leadership ushered … Read more
Wichita Falls-based American National Bank & Trust announced that it has hired Philip Strange to serve as senior vice president/mortgage lending. With nearly 30 years in the mortgage industry, he brings a wealth of experience in community bank mortgage division start-ups, process improvements and customer-focused lending. In his new role, he will specialize in employee … Read more
Harlingen-based Texas Regional Bank announced that it has hired Nick Davis to serve as lending officer for the Park Cities market in Dallas. In this role, he will leverage more than 15 years of experience in commercial lending, financial management and business development. The Park Cities banking center, which is expected to open in the … Read more
Henderson-based VeraBank has named Tamara Byrdsong its 2024 “Nelwyn Richardson Employee of the Year” recipient. Byrdsong joined the bank in 2013 and serves as retail branch administrator. Earlier in her tenure at VeraBank, she served as branch manager for the Longview 4th St. and Lakeport locations. The Nelwyn Richardson Employee of the Year award highlights … Read more
San Angelo-based Texas Bank recently announced two promotions. Grant Wilde has been promoted to assistant vice president of trust. Prior to joining Texas Bank, he served for four years as a computer science instructor at Angelo State University. He holds a double-major degree in mathematics and computer science from Angelo State University and earned his … Read more
Janette Coon, senior vice president and commercial escrow officer at WestStar Title, a division of El Paso-based WestStar Bank, retired at the end of January, concluding a 41-year career. She has been a member of the WestStar Title team for 14 years. “It has been a great honor to be part of WestStar Title and … Read more
Moulton-based SouthStar Bank SSB has hired Barbara Shaffer to serve as vice president/business development officer in Leander. With more than 40 years of banking experience, Shaffer joins SouthStar Bank having previously worked in a similar position at R Bank in Round Rock since 2013. Prior to that, she was vice president/Frost at Work specialist at … Read more
Terry Richter has been named chief executive officer of Cameron-based Classic Bank. He has been serving as interim CEO since December 2023. Richter retired from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in 2021 with more than 35 years of experience. He served in a wide variety of roles at the OCC, including … Read more
The board of directors of Abilene-based First Financial Bank has announced the promotion of Chris Schjetnan to executive vice president/director of community lending and outreach. In this role, he will lead the bank’s affordable banking initiatives, which focus on traditionally underserved communities. Schjetnan was born and raised in Mexico City in a bilingual household. “Chris’ … Read more
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has named two new regional executives whose focus will be deepening relationships with business and community leaders in North Texas and the Austin area to gain greater insight into the economy at the grassroots level. Donald Bowers has been named regional executive for North Texas and Guhan Venkatu has … Read more