TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE and IDEAS

East Texas

Louisiana-based Origin Bank Adds Haygood and Grimm to East Texas Commercial Banking Team 

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Choudrant, Louisiana-based Origin Bank has hired Scott Haygood as commercial relationship manager/regional executive vice president and Merritt Grimm as commercial relationship banker/senior vice president, serving the East Texas region. They will office at Origin Bank’s Longview Financial Center at 3805 N. Spur 63. “They were both born and raised [in East Texas], and they’ve strengthened … Read more

Louisiana-based Origin Bank Welcomes Klein, Merritt and Reily to Dallas Team 

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Choudrant, Louisiana-based Origin Bank has hired three banking professionals to join its team in North Texas. John Klein joins Origin Bank as a relationship manager at its Preston Financial Center in Dallas. He has more than 21 years of experience in banking, specializing in real estate, middle-market and small-business lending. Klein earned a BA degree … Read more

Prosperity Bancshares Completes Merger with Stellar Bancorp

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On July 1, Prosperity Bancshares Inc., the parent company of Houston-based Prosperity Bank, announced the completion of the merger of Stellar Bancorp Inc. with and into Prosperity and the merger of Stellar’s wholly owned subsidiary, Houston-based Stellar Bank with and into Prosperity Bank. Robert R. Franklin Jr., Stellar’s CEO and Stellar Bank’s executive chairman, joined … Read more

Louisiana-based Origin Bank Hires Six, Promotes Six Across North and East Texas Locations

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Choudrant, Louisiana-based Origin Bank has announced six new hires and six promotions across its North and East Texas markets. The new hires include: Charlie Bogan, regional executive vice president/private banking relationship manager at the bank’s Preston Financial Center in Dallas. He has more than 20 years of experience in banking, specializing in private banking, credit … Read more

Texas Bank and Trust Welcomes New Officer in Fort Worth

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Kyle Paschal has joined Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust’s lending division as a banking officer and portfolio manager in the bank’s Fort Worth office. Paschal has worked in the financial services industry for more than 25 years. He has served community banks throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, working in roles across retail banking, loan administration, … Read more

VeraBank Awards $12,500 in Scholarships to Outstanding Students

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On May 6, Henderson-based VeraBank announced the recipients of its 2026 Scholarship Program, awarding five $2,500 scholarships to exceptional students whose parents are part of the VeraBank family. This year’s scholarship recipients are: Coy Becka, senior at Caldwell High School, Caldwell (son of Melanie Becka); Zachary Leonard, senior at Westlake High School, Austin (son of … Read more

Texas Bank and Trust Announces
Recent Officer Promotions

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Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust announced several promotions at its employee awards dinner held in Longview in March. Jorge Acuna was promoted to vice president/commercial lending officer, lending. He has worked for Texas Bank and Trust for the past eight years in the lending division, previously serving as a credit analyst and portfolio manager before … Read more

Dogwood Festival Names Citizens State Bank CEO ‘Mr. East Texas’

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Harry J. “Johnny” Brooks, chair and CEO of Woodville-based Citizens State Bank, has been named 2026 Mr. East Texas as part of the community’s 83rd Annual Tyler County Dogwood Festival in Woodville, held on weekends in March and April. The Dogwood Festival is the longest-running outdoor celebration in Texas. Citizens State Bank has supported it … Read more

Pilgrim Bank Welcomes Russell and Taylor to Relationship Management Team

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In April, Mount Pleasant-based Pilgrim Bank announced that it has hired John Russell to serve as vice president/relationship manager and Ben Taylor has joined the bank as assistant vice president/relationship manager. Prior to joining Pilgrim Bank, Russell spent the better part of 16 years in public education, in both the classroom as an agriculture science … Read more

VeraBank Welcomes Turgel as Senior Vice President and Commercial Banker

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Henderson-based VeraBank has hired Jon Turgel as senior vice president/commercial banker. He brings more than 30 years of industry experience, with a strong background in relationship‑driven commercial banking and community engagement. In his new role, he will serve businesses across the Kyle-to-Bastrop region and surrounding communities. “Jon brings a strong relationship‑driven mindset, a passion for community … Read more