TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
To recognize banks (and credit unions) making a meaningful difference, Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group have published “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions 2026.” The methodology utilized the Texas Ratio (a measure of a bank’s credit quality), as well as reviewed profitability and net loans and leases, press coverage over the past two years, … Read more
Troy Moore has joined Jacksonville-based Austin Bank as executive vice president and deputy regional president. He will office in the bank’s Longview Oak Forest location. He will join the advisory board of directors for Austin Bank and assume regional president responsibilities in March. With 33 years of lending experience in the Longview and Kilgore area, … Read more
Two associates at Jacksonville-based Austin Bank received promotions in July and the bank announced a new hire. Sandy McCafferty has been hired as senior vice president and retail market manager. She joins Austin Bank after serving 20 years with Capital Bank in Houston, where she was senior vice president/regional banking center manager. Prior to that … Read more
William L. “Billy” Mullins, senior executive vice president, chief risk officer and director at Jacksonville-based Austin Bank, announced his retirement after a banking career spanning 51 years, effective July 17. Mullins started his banking career in 1974 as an assistant national bank examiner for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). In 1979, … Read more
East Texas Financial Corp., the bank holding company for Kilgore-based Citizens Bank, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Texas National Bancorporation Inc., the bank holding company for Jacksonville-based Texas National Bank. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025. Upon closing, East Texas Financial Corp. will operate as a … Read more
Joe H. Sharp Jr., 86, a highly respected leader in the banking industry, passed away on June 30 in Longview. After graduating from Mineola High School in 1956, he earned a BBA degree in accounting from Southern Methodist University and gained his license as a certified public accountant. He also attended and later taught at … Read more
Jeff Austin III, chairman of Jacksonville-based Austin Bank, has announced promotions of three executives within the organization. Jason Petersen has been named chief credit officer. A current member of the executive committee and a senior executive vice president, Petersen will move from the role of chief lending officer to chief credit officer following the retirement of … Read more
On May 22, Jacksonville-based Austin Bank and the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the bank’s two new full-service banking centers in Houston and Spring. The event was well attended by both chambers and business leaders, as well as the Austin Bank leadership team and employees. The … Read more
On January 24, Jeff Austin III, chairman of the board of Jacksonville-based Austin Bank, announced that Austin Bancorp Inc., the parent company of Austin Bank, has received regulatory approval for the company’s acquisition of Chasewood Bank, based in Houston. The acquisition date of February 14, 2025, will create combined assets of $2.9 billion with 40 … Read more
Loan Production Offices The OCC reports that it has approved an application by First National Bank Texas, based in Killeen, to establish a loan production office at 641 N. Stanton Dr. in El Paso. Branches The OCC reports that it has approved an application by Woodforest National Bank, based in The Woodlands, to establish a … Read more