Mullings Tapped as El Paso Market President for City Bank

Cory Newsom, president and CEO of Lubbock-based City Bank, recently announced that Joseph “Jody” W. Mullings has been hired to serve as the bank’s market president in El Paso. Mullings is responsible for regional community outreach, as well as bank growth in commercial lending, deposits, treasury management and related financial services. Mullings, a third-generation El … Read more

In Memoriam: Scotty Wood Lindley of First National Bank of Albany / Breckenridge

Scotty Wood Lindley, 66, passed away on December 14 in Abilene. At the time of his death, he was serving as president of the Abilene branch of the First National Bank of Albany/Breckenridge. Born in 1954 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Lindley married Terry Lee Ramsey in 1977. He earned his BBA degree in finance, with a … Read more

The First National Bank of Central Texas Announces Several Executive Promotions

The board of directors of Waco-based The First National Bank of Central Texas (FNBCT) unanimously approved officer promotions during its December meeting. Steve Gohring has been promoted to chief operating officer. He brings nearly four decades of banking experience to his new position. He’s worked in the operations department at FNBCT since 2015. John Low … Read more

Commerce Street Capital’s Steven Ellis Passes Away

Steven M. Ellis, who served as managing director of the corporate investment banking and financial institutions group at Dallas-based Commerce Street Capital, passed away on November 29. He was 62. Ellis had more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry as an investor, executive, advisor and director of financial institutions and other … Read more

VeraBank Announces Intent to Acquire Panola National Bank

Henderson-based VeraBank announced on December 18 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Carthage-based Panola National Bank. Established in 1983, Panola National Bank has two locations, Carthage and Marshall, and assets totaling $125 million. This transaction will expand VeraBank into Panola County for the first time and increase its presence in East Texas. Subject … Read more

North Dallas Bank & Trust’s Chairman and CEO Shipman to Retire, Miller to be Named New CEO

On December 15, Dallas-based North Dallas Bank & Trust Co. (NDBT) announced that W. Michael Shipman will retire as chairman of the board and chief executive officer on March 31, 2021. Shipman will be succeeded by the bank’s current president, Larry A. Miller, effective April 1, 2021. “It is fitting that during North Dallas Bank & Trust’s … Read more

Somerville, Vice President of Marketing, to Retire from Security State Bank & Trust After 37 Years in Banking

Linda Somerville, vice president of marketing at Fredericksburg-based Security State Bank & Trust is retiring at the end of the month after 30 years at the bank and 37 years in banking. She led the marketing efforts of the bank’s 16 branches from her office in Kerrville. In retirement, she plans to spend more time on … Read more

First Financial Bank Names Dacus CEO of Kingwood Region

The board of directors of Abilene-based First Financial Bank NA recently announced the promotion of Shelley Dacus to chief executive officer of the bank’s Kingwood region. She was promoted to president of the region in 2019 and now replaces Harry J. Brooks as CEO. Brooks is departing the bank at the end of the year. Dacus has more … Read more

Happy State Bank to Acquire First National Bank of Tahoka

On December 11, J. Pat Hickman, chairman of Amarillo-based Happy State Bank, and Frederick B. Hegi Jr., chairman of Tahoka-based First National Bank of Tahoka (FNB), announced that Happy State Bank is acquiring First National Bank of Tahoka through a merger. FNB Tahoka holds approximately $56 million in total assets and has one location in … Read more

Pandemic Prescience: A New Look at a 2007 Report that Pondered the Economic Impact of Another Event Like the 1918 Influenza

EDITOR’S NOTE: In 2007, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis published a paper by economist Thomas A. Garrett, then an assistant vice president at the St. Louis Fed (now an associate professor in economics at the University of Mississippi), entitled Economic Effects of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Implications for a Modern-Day Pandemic. Have those implications … Read more