TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
TEXAS BANKING NEWS, PEOPLE AND IDEAS
Jacksonville-based Austin Bank promoted two employees in February. Danielle Merkley has been elected bank officer. She joined Austin Bank in 2011 as a teller in the Longview Oak Forest office. In 2012, she transitioned to a customer service representative at the Greggton location in Longview, where she also served as a CSR regional trainer. She … Read more
Fort Worth-based NBT Financial Bank recently announced two promotions and a new hire. Lacy Samples has been promoted to senior vice president/senior compliance officer. She has been in banking for more than 20 years and with NBT Financial Bank since 2019. Samples holds certifications as a certified regulatory compliance manager, certified community bank risk specialist, … Read more
Jerry Craft, chairman of the board at Jacksboro National Bank, celebrates a career milestone this year: 50 years as a Texas community banker. His service has not gone unnoticed. “As old as I am, I better have done something in my life,” Craft told North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine in 2014. He certainly has … Read more
By Sean C. Payant, Ph.D. Many bank executives spend considerable time thinking about strategies to improve overall profitability and create sustainable growth. According to what is conveyed in banking industry publications and gleaned at trade shows and conferences, the industry’s best practices generally focus on strategies to cut expenses—using technology, looking at staffing levels, increasing … Read more
Woodway-based Alliance Bank Central Texas hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new banking center in Temple on February 16. The full-service bank will be located at 408 Hilliard Rd. and mark the seventh branch spread out around Central Texas in Waco, Temple, Belton, Georgetown, Donie and Jewett. The project is scheduled to be completed in … Read more
Henderson-based VeraBank has hired Stephanie Gomez to serve as treasury management officer in the bank’s Bryan/College Station, Huntsville and Conroe markets. Gomez has worked with VeraBank for nearly five years and most recently served as the assistant branch manager at the College Station branch. She holds a BS degree from Texas A&M University. “We couldn’t … Read more
Lubbock-based Plains Bancorp Inc., the holding company for First United Bank, has announced the following promotions: Amy Punchard, senior vice president, has been with the bank since 2012 and has almost 19 years of marketing experience. She serves as chief marketing director and offices at the Lubbock-Northwest banking center. Cheryl Huey, senior vice president, has … Read more
Tom Farris, chairman of Floydada-based First Texas National Bank, has announced the following promotions. T.K. Farris has been named chief executive officer of the bank. A graduate of Texas Christian University and the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, Farris has been with First Texas National Bank since 2017. His experience is … Read more
First State Bank of Uvalde Chairman Chip Briscoe and President and CEO Chad D. Stary recently announced that Jones “Joe” Neville Haynes has been elected to the First State Bank of Uvalde board of directors. Haynes recently retired as managing partner, president, CEO and chairman of Sanger & Altgelt LLC, a premier insurance agency headquartered … Read more
Liberty-based First Liberty Bank announced a number of promotions during its board of directors meeting held in mid-December. “These talented individuals have played a big part in our success as a community bank through their hard work and dedication,” says Charles McGuire, chairman. “Our board of directors takes great pleasure in recognizing these deserving individuals … Read more