On November 20, Hilltop Holdings Inc. announced that Jerry Schaffner, president and CEO of Hilltop Holdings’ banking subsidiary, Dallas-based PlainsCapital Bank, is retiring on May 1, 2024. At that time, Jeremy B. Ford, Hilltop Holdings president and CEO, will become CEO of PlainsCapital Bank. In anticipation of the transition, PlainsCapital Bank’s COO Brian Heflin has been named president of the bank, and Pete Villarreal, current chief administrative officer, has been named chief operating officer effective immediately. Schaffner will continue to serve on PlainsCapital Bank’s board of directors and Ford will continue to serve as president and CEO of Hilltop Holdings and chairman of PlainsCapital Bank following the transition.
“Jerry Schaffner has had an astonishing career spanning 42 years and has been a key leader at PlainsCapital since its very beginning in 1988,” Ford notes.
Schaffner joined PlainsCapital in 1988 as a vice president in Lubbock. During his tenure, he has served as chief lending officer and banking group president, before being named president and CEO in 2010.
Heflin joined PlainsCapital Bank in 1987 and led the its entry into the North Texas region in 1999. In addition to his position as chief operating officer, he previously served as North Texas region chairman and president of PlainsCapital Bank’s Turtle Creek branch in Dallas.
Villarreal joined PlainsCapital Bank in 1988 and previously served as chief of bank operations before being named chief administrative officer in 2012.
Established in 1955, PlainsCapital Bank operates 59 Texas branches. Its major markets include Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio.
