On May 22, Charles G. Cooper, commissioner of the Texas Department of Banking, announced the opening of Houston-based Houston Bank & Trust, the first de novo state bank charter approved since April 2022. The bank is anticipated to serve customers primarily in the Houston MSA, with a focus on Harris and Montgomery counties.

Houston Bank & Trust opened on May 22 with a minimum capital amount of $35 million. Organizers and board members include A.A. (Trey) Henderson III, chairman; Mark Simmons, chief executive officer; and Mark Jacobs, president and chief lending officer. Other organizers and board members include Rebecca Bayless, John Blanchard, James Doyle, Ryan Edone, Lauren Kingry, David Preng, Judson Robinson III and James Shelton.

“The opening of this new state bank reflects the strength of the Texas economy and will benefit the Houston area,” Cooper says. “The Texas economy is well served by a strong banking system that provides credit opportunities to businesses and consumers, including trust services, and we welcome Houston Bank & Trust to the state system.”

According to the bank’s website:

“Houston Bank & Trust was formed by a group of local investors from Houston and The Woodlands in 2024 to fill a need. Years of acquisitions of local banks by out-of-area banks had led to a significant lack of banks having decisions made by Houstonians. The impact on Houstonians was significant—delays in obtaining responses, cold decisions by out-of-area management teams that did not fully understand the dynamics of the Houston market and a ‘race to scale’ that saw customers with less-than-extraordinary wealth turned away. The need was clear. Houston needed a ‘Bank for Houstonians, by Houstonians.’ And that bank needed to be inclusive, serving the real needs of its clients regardless of their wealth. Our banking and trust wealth management services are available to all clients, without an artificial ‘minimum net worth’ requirement.”