FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 11, 2026) — The Tarrant County Bankers Association (TCBA) has named Wade Donnell, president and chief executive officer of NBT Financial Bank, the 2026 Banker of the Year.
The peer-nominated award, presented by TCBA for more than two decades, recognizes a banker who has excelled in Tarrant County banking, improved the public image of banking in the community, or motivated and encouraged fellow local bankers. Donnell was nominated by Mark Riebe, chairman of TexasBank and recipient of the 2023 Banker of the Year award and was subsequently selected by a majority vote of TCBA’s board of directors.
“When Wade started bringing Fort Worth’s community bank presidents together every month, he gave them a place to learn from one another,” said Lacy Samples, senior vice president and compliance officer at NBT Financial Bank, who works directly with Donnell and currently serves as acting president of TCBA. “That kind of leadership is exactly what this award recognizes, and his peers have noticed.”
Donnell began his banking career in 1988 and joined NBT Financial Bank in 2000. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Graduate School of Banking at Texas Tech and was commissioned as a national bank examiner in 1993. He founded a monthly luncheon for Fort Worth community bank presidents, which now meets at the Fort Worth Club, and recently completed his term on the Texas Bankers Association board.
“I’m humbled and appreciative, especially because this comes from fellow bankers across Tarrant County,” said Donnell. “Mark Riebe has been a friend and colleague for a long time, and his nomination means a great deal. Any credit belongs to our team at NBT Financial Bank.”
“A lot of our board members are entrepreneurs who know the importance of having a banker pick up the phone, and Wade is and has always been that kind of banker,” said Steve Eargle, chairman of NBT Financial Bank’s board. “He believes the people making decisions for local businesses should know those businesses and live in the same community, and he’s spent more than 25 years at NBT making sure Fort Worth keeps that kind of banking.”
Earlier this year, NBT Financial Bank opened a branch on Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth, and it will open a Grapevine branch in December.
The Banker of the Year luncheon is Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth. TCBA will make a charitable donation to Donnell’s designated recipient, Community Caring Center. TCBA members and guests may register at https://tarrantcountybankers.org/events/
About NBT Financial Bank
NBT Financial Bank is an independent, locally owned community bank founded in 1973 on Fort Worth’s Northside. For more than 50 years, it has served the people and businesses of North Texas, with every lending decision made locally, by bankers who live and work in the communities they serve. In 2026, NBT was named a Best Bank winner in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s DFW Favorites and Favorite Local Bank in Local Life Magazine’s Local Love awards. NBT serves Northside and Camp Bowie in Fort Worth, Hurst, Azle, Burleson, Willow Park, and Grapevine. NBT Financial Bank. Member FDIC.
About Tarrant County Bankers Association
Established in 1993, the Tarrant County Bankers Association (TCBA) is a local, nonprofit organization that unites commercial and community bankers across North Texas, promoting professional excellence and civic leadership. Focused on its core pillars of leadership, education, and connection, TCBA strengthens the financial industry by developing current and future leaders, delivering practical learning opportunities, and fostering meaningful collaborative engagement across all areas of banking.