TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE and IDEAS
Houston-based Amegy Bank has promoted Bobby Little to executive vice president of commercial banking. He will lead the bank’s expansion across Collin, Denton and Grayson counties as Amegy Bank continues expanding its presence in North Texas, including the recent opening of its first Frisco office at Hall Park. “Collin, Denton and Grayson counties continue to … Read more
On October 20, El Paso-based WestStar Bank announced the promotion of Courtney Yeatman to senior vice president/construction banking manager. Yeatman has spent her entire 17-year banking career at WestStar, specializing in residential construction lending and developing relationships with homebuilders and developers throughout the Borderplex. “Courtney has been instrumental to the success of our construction lending … Read more
Donald Jarrott Briscoe Jr., a longtime member of the Farmers Branch-based TIB NA team, died October 20 at age 64. Briscoe joined TIB in 1996 as a senior vice president/cashier and, through a series of promotions, was named director of service solutions and communications in 2025, the position he held upon his passing. He considered … Read more
College Station-based American Momentum Bank has hired Bryan/College Station native Gates Gardner as senior vice president/commercial relationship manager. He brings 27 years of banking experience to his new role. Most recently, Gardner served as senior vice president/market president in Beaumont at Third Coast Bank, where he ranked among the bank’s top five loan producers for … Read more
Dallas-based Susser Bank continues to expand its Dallas commercial banking team with the addition of Meredith Worley as senior vice president/relationship manager and Conner Heil as vice president/relationship manager. Worley brings more than 15 years of experience serving privately held businesses and business owners across North Texas. Her expertise includes commercial lending, sponsor lending, asset-based … Read more
Robert Smith III, a distinguished public servant, naval officer and devoted family man, passed away on October 3 in Dallas at the age of 86. He spent much of his career in service to the Federal Reserve System. After earning his BS degree in agricultural economics from Texas A&M University, Smith pursued further studies at … Read more
On September 14, Houston-based Third Coast Bank announced the appointment of Bernardo “Bernie” Lacayo as executive vice president/head of corporate banking. He joined the bank in March. Lacayo brings more than three decades of banking and financial services experience, with a track record of building corporate and middle-market banking businesses, developing specialized lending capabilities and … Read more
Dallas-based PlainsCapital Bank has hired Dick Sadka as senior vice president/senior relationship manager, serving commercial banking clients throughout the Houston market. He will be based at PlainsCapital’s Richmond Ave. banking center. Sadka brings more than 40 years of banking experience spanning commercial banking, treasury services, portfolio management and business development. Prior to joining PlainsCapital Bank, … Read more
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
In late September, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) announced that Gabe Guerra, president and CEO of Corpus Christi-based Kleberg Bank, has been elected chair of the IBAT board of directors for 2026–27. He officially accepted the position during the association’s 52nd Annual Convention held September 19–22 in San Antonio. In addition to Guerra, … Read more