As national banks continue swallowing regional and community lenders across Texas and the country, one North Texas institution is leaning into a message that sounds increasingly rare in modern banking: “We’re not for sale.”
Executives at American National Bank of Texas say the 150-year-old bank sees today’s wave of industry consolidation not as a threat, but as an opportunity to grow by offering something many larger competitors no longer can — long-term local relationships and decision-making rooted in the communities they serve.
“When we think about being an independent bank today, I think it means we make decisions for the long term as opposed to making decisions for next quarter’s earnings release,” ANBTX Sr. EVP and Chief Strategy Officer Steve White said during a recent interview. “We’re not beholden to shareholders in New York or on Wall Street.”
The banking industry has undergone decades of consolidation, with thousands of independent institutions disappearing through mergers and acquisitions. Rising compliance costs, technology spending, cybersecurity demands, and shareholder pressures have increasingly pushed smaller banks toward scale.
ANBTX executives acknowledge those pressures are real. But at roughly $5.5 billion in assets, the bank believes it occupies a strategic middle ground — large enough to absorb regulatory and technology costs while remaining locally controlled.
White said the bank has invested heavily in technology platforms such as Salesforce and automated loan origination systems while maintaining a community banking model built around local decision-makers.
“We did that because we thought it was in the best interest of our customers and employees,” White said. “We thought it positioned the bank for the future.”
Rather than pursuing aggressive acquisitions, ANBTX says its growth strategy centers on organic expansion — particularly in Fort Worth, where the bank has accelerated hiring and commercial lending efforts amid rapid population and business growth.
Fort Worth Market President Dustin Ortmann said the disruption caused by consolidation is creating openings for independent banks to recruit both bankers and customers frustrated by mergers and leadership turnover.
Ortmann said Fort Worth’s rise as a national growth market has further strengthened demand for locally based banking relationships.
“The city has so much more to it,” Ortmann said. “I can’t think of a place I’d much rather want to be than right here right now.”
Ortmann grew up in the small town of Smiley, Texas, southeast of San Antonio. (Smiley is not among the fastest-growing cities in America.) He points out that “the landmark everybody knows is that we’re about 30 minutes from Shiner. That rings a bell for everybody.”
He took over the Fort Worth market about two years ago.
“I'm loving it,” Ortmann said. “We've built a team here of really good people that are highly involved in the community, and we're really growing this market organically just through being out and about in Fort Worth. It's gone really well for us. Since January of last year, we've grown our loan book in Fort Worth 109%. We've grown our deposits by 20%, and we're adding lots of commercial customers.”
For ANBTX, independence is also deeply personal. White represents the sixth generation of family leadership tied to the bank, which traces its origins to Terrell in 1875.
Family leadership has remained a defining characteristic of the institution for generations.
After operating under several names during its early decades, the institution formally became American National Bank in 1903. During the Great Depression, the bank acquired The First National Bank of Terrell, consolidating the city’s banking resources at a time when many financial institutions across the country were collapsing.
Much of the bank’s early identity was shaped by longtime chairman Walter P. Allen, whose leadership helped guide the institution through the turbulence of the 1930s and World War II. Family histories and bank accounts describe Allen helping protect employees and customers during the Bonnie and Clyde era while also supporting economic development efforts that brought new business activity to Terrell during the war years.
He was succeeded by Ben L. Gill Jr. During difficult agricultural periods, Gill was said to have worked with struggling local farmers to help them retain their land and rebuild financially.
That culture continued under Riter Hulsey, who joined the bank as a teller in 1947 after graduating from the University of Texas and serving in the Naval Supply Corps during World War II. Born in Forney in 1920, Hulsey rose steadily through the organization, becoming CEO in 1975 and later chairman of the board in 1986. He remained actively involved with the bank for decades, continuing to come to the office well into his 90s.
Today, that family legacy continues through his son, Robert Hulsey, who serves as CEO. White is Riter Hulsey’s grandson. Executives say that continuity remains central to ANBTX’s identity as an independent Texas bank focused on local decision-making and community relationships.
In 1995, the institution adopted its current name, American National Bank of Texas, reflecting its growing regional footprint beyond Kaufman County.
Asked what would make the bank consider selling, White's answer was direct.
“Nothing."
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