TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
The Texas Bankers Association (TBA) recently announced the elected board of directors for its 2025–26 fiscal year. The officers’ terms run from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Ron Butler, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Abilene-based First Financial Bank NA, has been named TBA chairman. The new vice chair is William … Read more
The board of directors of Abilene-based First Financial Bank has announced the election of Jeff Vorhees to serve as executive vice president and treasurer. Vorhees most recently served as director of corporate treasury at McKinney-based Independent Financial, a $19 billion public bank. Prior to that, he held positions in asset liability management consulting, investment banking … Read more
On April 2, the Texas Bankers Foundation, the charitable arm of the Texas Bankers Association, announced the 12 recipients of the 2025 Emerging Leader Awards. Nominated by their bank’s president, CEO or board chair, these rising stars were selected for their exceptional leadership, commitment to service and impact on the banking industry. “These outstanding professionals … Read more
On April 2, the Texas Bankers Foundation, the charitable arm of the Texas Bankers Association, announced the 19 recipients of its 2025 Cornerstone and Leader in Financial Education (LiFE) Awards. These honors recognize work that goes above and beyond in its commitment to community engagement and financial education across Texas. “These awards celebrate the banks … Read more
On April 14, Wrey Montgomery, CEO and president of City National BancShares Inc., the holding company for The City National Bank of Colorado City, and Michael R. Davis, CEO of Big Country Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Citizens Bank NA, announced that a definitive agreement has been executed in which City National BancShares Inc. … Read more
Forbes has released its 16th annual list of “America’s Best Banks,” with numerous companies headquartered in Texas making the cut. Of the 100 banks on the list, seven are based in the Lone Star State. Here are the Texas-based 2025 “America’s Best Banks” (the numbers indicate the bank’s ranking on Forbes’ list of U.S. banks): … Read more
On January 31, UMB Financial Corp., the parent company of Kansas City, Missouri-based UMB Bank, announced the closing of its acquisition of Denver, Colorado-based Heartland Financial USA Inc., which operates in Texas as First Bank & Trust, based in Lubbock. Heartland Financial USA operated 19 branches in Texas before the merger. Its Texas-based banks will … 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
First Financial Bankshares Inc., the parent company of Abilene-based First Financial Bank, has announced the election of Brian D. Goodrich as executive vice president and general counsel. “We are delighted to welcome Brian to Abilene and the company’s executive management team as the first general counsel for First Financial Bankshares,” says F. Scott Dueser, chairman, … Read more
Abilene-based First Financial Bank recently hired Andrew Arizpe to serve as senior vice president/commercial relationship manager. He will support lending and banking needs for businesses in the Bryan/College Station region. Arizpe’s career has included stints as a vice president/commercial lender at Cadence Bank, Mutual of Omaha Bank and Allegiance Bank, all in Houston. Most recently, he was … Read more