TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
On July 1, the board of directors for Community Bank Holdings of Texas, the holding company of Corsicana-based Community National Bank & Trust of Texas, announced the retirement of President Tim Stites after an extraordinary 42-year career with the bank. Following Stites’ retirement, Rusty Hitt has been named chief executive officer and president of the … Read more
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
In June, Houston-based Gulf Capital Bank announced that longtime Houston banker Brent Harraman has joined the bank as senior vice president/business banking director. Harrraman joins Gulf Capital Bank after serving for more than 14 years at Comerica Bank. His last position there was as senior vice president, regional director/small-business banking for Texas, Arizona and Florida. … Read more
On June 16, Fredericksburg-based Security State Bank & Trust announced the appointment of Tish Perez as president and a member of the board of directors during the bank’s 85th anniversary year. She becomes the first woman to serve as president and on the bank board. Perez will oversee Security State Bank’s operations, marketing, credit, treasury solutions, … Read more
The Leadership Division of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) elected new executive committee members to its board during the 41st Annual Connecting Leaders Conference, held in June at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock. Founded in 1985, the IBAT Leadership Division is dedicated to the development of tomorrow’s leaders in community banking. The … Read more
Harlingen-based Texas Regional Bank has appointed James Ehrlich market president in Kerrville. He brings more than 30 years of experience in commercial banking, private banking and trust, and commercial real estate. His background includes building and managing multi-million-dollar commercial loan portfolios and overseeing $160 million in private banking and trust assets. That experience is enhanced by decades … Read more
On April 13, TNB Bancshares Inc., the holding company for Mercedes-based Texas National Bank, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Zapata Bancshares Inc. and its bank subsidiary, Zapata-based Zapata National Bank. This acquisition aligns with Texas National Bank’s 2025 expansion into Starr County through the acquisition Roma-based Citizens State Bank. The … Read more
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
Wichita Falls-based American National Bank & Trust has promoted three executives and hired a fourth. “As we continue to grow, it is essential to recognize and elevate the leaders who have helped build our success,” says Craig Berry, president and chief lending officer. Damon Whatley has been promoted to executive vice president. His banking career began … Read more
On April 23, Dallas-based Texas Capital announced several executive leadership appointments that, according to the bank, “are designed to scale the firm’s clearly differentiated platform in its next phase of growth.” Jeff Hood has been appointed managing director/chief human resources officer. He joins Texas Capital from Citizens Financial Group with more than 25 years of … Read more