Kansas-based CrossFirst Bank said May 4 it plans to open in Dallas, with longtime North Texas banker George Jones in a lead position.
Jones, 72, retired as CEO of Texas Capital Bank and its parent company, Texas Capital Bancshares Inc., in 2013 after a successful 15-year tenure. He began as a founding executive in 1998 and led the bank through 50 consecutive profitable quarters and growth to $12 billion in assets.
Jones joined CrossFirst Bank’s parent company, CrossFirst Holdings LLC, as vice chairman and board member. He will put together a local shareholder base and advisory board and a team of bankers while identifying a location for the bank to serve businesses and professionals in Dallas.
“After sitting on the sidelines for two years with good health, tremendous energy and a passion for banking, I discovered that I still have a strong desire to build something great,” Jones said.
Ron Baldwin, CrossFirst Holdings chairman, president and CEO, founded the bank in 2007. The company has more than $175 million in capital with 930 private shareholders. The $1.8 billion bank serves Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. CrossFirst also operates an energy bank division reaching an additional 12 states and beyond.
“With its similar demographics and growth opportunities, Dallas is a logical extension of our franchise,” said Baldwin, 62, who is also chairman of CrossFirst Bank. “You are known by the company you keep, and we could not be more thrilled to be in George’s company. We’ve both built de novo banks from the ground up and we share a passion for serving others. This is the perfect match and a logical next step in George’s illustrious banking career.”
In addition to his role with Texas Capital Bank, Jones was president and CEO of NorthPark National Bank, president of NorthPark National Corp. and a member of both boards. Jones also served as president and CEO for Texas American Bank, Dallas, and manager of financial institutions with Mercantile National Bank, Dallas.
Jones serves on the board of Caliber Home Loans Inc. and is chairman of the audit and compensation committees. He serves on the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan Dallas board as treasurer and a member of the executive committee. He is active with the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and a past chairman of the Salesmanship Club Foundation Board of Trustees. Jones has served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and was a member of the audit committee. He was also a member of the Dallas Citizens Council. Additionally, Jones is a past chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Dallas and formerly served on the Baylor Healthcare System’s Board of Trustees.
“Since CrossFirst has strong leaders and a proven infrastructure in place, I can focus on the joy of developing talent and growing relationships for the bank,” Jones said. “Ron and I share the CrossFirst vision, client focus and entrepreneurial spirit that makes this the perfect fit.”
Before founding CrossFirst Bank eight years ago, Baldwin spent the majority of his 44-year banking career in leadership at Fourth Financial Corp./BANK IV which grew from $200 million to $8 billion in assets before being acquired by Bank of America. He then became president and chief operations officer at Intrust Bank, which increased assets from $1.2 billion to $3.2 billion in the nearly 10-year period.