TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE and IDEAS
On March 18, multiple promotions were announced at Longview-based Texas Bank and Trust’s employee awards dinner. Cascey Freeman has been promoted to vice president/branch manager in Overton. Employed with the bank since 2014, she has managed the bank’s Overton branch since 2023, having previously served as both a consumer lender and lending assistant. A graduate … Read more
On May 19, San Antonio-based Frost Bank reached a milestone—its 200th financial center in Texas—when the bank’s Pflugerville branch opened for business. The bank will celebrate the new location on an upcoming date. A 157-year-old bank with deep Texas roots, Frost Bank has been expanding in its Austin, Dallas and Houston regions. Pflugerville is the … Read more
On April 28, the board of directors of Odessa-based SouthWest Bank announced the promotion of Isaiah Navarrete from advisory director to full board member. Based in Odessa, Navarrete is an entrepreneur and business leader with a diverse background spanning lending, oil and gas, finance and construction. He is the owner of Cobra Coating, a partner … Read more
Brownwood-based TexasBank has hired Jeanine Werberig to serve as Tarrant County retail market manager. With more than 35 years of banking experience and 18-plus years in leadership roles, she brings a blend of expertise, strategic vision and community-minded energy to her new role. Werberig’s background includes senior leadership roles at Happy State Bank, Affiliated Bank … Read more
On May 5, Texas Southern University (TSU) in Houston announced a $200,000 gift from the Moody Foundation in support of the Future Bankers Leadership Program (FBLP) at the Jesse H. Jones School of Business. This contribution further strengthens the program’s mission to prepare students for careers in the financial services industry through academic training, mentorship … Read more
On May 13, Wichita Falls-based American National Bank & Trust announced the hiring of Quinton Crenshaw III as mortgage community outreach officer. With a background in real estate, he has built a career partnering with leading brokerages and representing clients in their real estate-related transactions and investment opportunities. “With his trusted and passionate career in … Read more
Henry Newton has joined Little Rock, Arkansas-based Bank OZK as director/fund finance in the corporate and institutional banking group in Houston. With more than a decade of experience in investment banking, he is responsible for originating, structuring and executing financing for clients, including fund managers, institutional investors and sponsors. Newton worked at Truist Securities in … Read more
On May 5, Houston-based Gulf Capital Bank announced that it has established a new small-business lending group with veteran banker Saman Noorani and underwriter Sebastian Aguirre. Saman has more than 20 years of experience in SBA loan origination, underwriting, closing and secondary market sales. Prior to joining Gulf Capital Bank, she was senior vice president … Read more
Corpus Christi-based American Bank announced the appointment of Steven P. Lufburrow to its Houston regional board. He is the recently retired president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Houston and former executive director of the Goodwill Industries of Houston Foundation. Under his leadership of more than 38 years, Goodwill Houston experienced unprecedented growth, becoming one of … Read more
On May 1, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) announced the re-selection of Texas Banking Commissioner Charles G. Cooper to the FFIEC’s State Liaison Committee (SLC) for a term that runs through April 30, 2027. Concurrently, the SLC announced Cooper’s re-election as SLC chair for a one-year term that runs until April 30, 2026. … Read more