Best of Community Banking Award

Best of Show Award for Community Service:  Citizens National Bank of Texas, Waxahachie

In 1952, the M.E. Singleton Scholarship was established to give outstanding high school seniors in Ellis County the opportunity for a higher education.  The scholarships, awarded annually through Citizens National Bank, have given more than $4.5 million in scholarships, with 95% of students graduating from college as a result.  This year 34 scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors.  The primary objective of Citizens National Bank is to make a difference in education, with hopes to draw quality residents back to their hometowns.

Best of Show Award in Financial Literacy:  Town & Country Bank, Stephenville

Collaborating with the Fort Worth Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail Council, Town and Country Bank is providing financial literacy education in the Stephenville area.  Bank employees are volunteering their time to teach financial education curriculum in high schools and middle schools.  The bank also created a “Teen Checking” account to assist students in learning how to manage their money.  Since its inception in 2008, 4 students have received scholarship money.  Town and Country Bank is thriving in their partnership with the schools, parents and local media.

Community Spirit Award for Community Service:  FirstBank Southwest, Amarillo

In an effort to draw together support for the High Plains Food Bank and corporations in the 29 counties served by the Food Bank, FirstBank Southwest created a contest for local high school art students to give their creative interpretation of the Food Bank’s mission.  The winning art pieces, along with 12 corporate sponsor logos, will decorate the local Food Bank’s 18-wheeler.  The truck will become an artistic visual collage of the face of hunger, as it delivers over 7 million pounds of food to 29 counties year around.

American Spirit Award for Community Service:  Independent Bank, McKinney

With a mission to serve their community, including those who serve and protect our country, Independent Bank devised a holiday community project using a donation list, magazine advertisements and a personalized Memorial Day e-mail campaign.  Bank employees identified their family members serving in the Armed Forces.  Schoolchildren personalized donation boxes with handwritten notes and photo cards and bank customers dropped off donations and gave hundreds of dollars towards purchasing additional supplies.  As a result, two hundred boxes were shipped to the troops overseas, and the joint effort brought Independent Bank and its customers closer together.

Alliance Bank, Sulphur Springs

Gold Award in Marketing
Targeting their existing and future customer base, Alliance Bank kicked off a cascading marketing campaign tied to convenience banking.  Beginning with a check card campaign that included lobby displays, print, magazine and radio support.  From there, the bank went to a Facebook iPad2 sweepstakes tapping Facebook fans.  Next was an e-statement campaign that included QR codes, statement stuffers, electronic message boards and internet landing pages to name a few.  To drive text/mobile banking adoption, there were e-mail blasts, billboards and mobile courier car advertising wraps.  Considering this campaign in today’s economic uncertainty and budget cuts, the result were admirable: debit cards issued were up by 11%, additional interchange revenue was $800 a month, Facebook fan base was up by about 500 with about 296 click-throughs to Facebook.

Brenham National Bank

Gold Award for Financial Literacy
Brenham National Bank conducted an aggressive educational campaign to give people in the community a better understanding of financial responsibilities and career opportunities.  Bank employees developed curriculum, conducted workshops and served as volunteer teachers for elementary and high school Junior Achievement Programs.  Included in this campaign was a “Personal Finance Workshop,” designed to train-the-trainer so that attendees could share information and materials with friends and families.

Grapeland State Bank

Gold Award for Architectural Design
Grapeland State Bank turned 100 years old this year.  Having outgrown its 1,450 sq ft building, the bank owners decided to expand to the adjoining properties.  After nine months of reconstruction, the remodeled 4,500 sq ft bank retained the original brick walls of the Main Street business and now displays a warm rustic atmosphere.  The bank is very proud to be a resident of downtown Grapeland and asserts that their philosophy of “staying put” further shows that they are a True Texas Community Bank.

First National Bank Texas, Killeen

Gold Award in Financial Literacy
Lemonade Day is a national event that teaches children financial literacy and entrepreneurship.  First National Bank Texas introduced this learning experience to the communities of Killeen and Fort Hood.  Structured so that the youth would market “who has the best lemonade,” the children learned to set goals, develop business plans, establish budgets, seek investors, provide customer service, and learn banking basics and philanthropy.  FNBT registered 1,490 children for the program this year, twice as many as last year.  Many of the lemonade stands donated their profits to a charity of choice after paying their “investors” back (usually their parents).

Texas First Bank, Texas City

Gold Award in Financial Literacy
A twist to the popular board game Monopoly turned Galveston County into a Monopoly game board where 200 high school students learned about financial literacy.  Sponsored by the Charles T. Doyle Leadership Program at Texas First Bank and hosted by 25 other area businesses, students grouped in teams to learn about finance and play “Leadsopoly.”  This clever and impressive all day program in the manner of a board game exposed high school students to finance and business philosophy in their local community.

First Victoria National Bank

Gold Award in Marketing, e-Statement Campaign
First Victoria National Bank became aware of the high cost of paper statements with over 70,000 paper statements being printed and mailed each month.  The bank kicked off a 6-month e-statement campaign tagged “Turn off the paper and we’ll turn on the dough.”  Customers received $10 for each account they changed to an e-statement, and were then entered in a drawing to win one of five Apple iPads.  The goal was 775 new enrollments, however, e-statement enrollment increased by 2,378, equating to a $34,243 annualized reduction in statement printing and mailing expenses for the bank.

Bank of the West, Grapevine

Gold Award for Financial Literacy
Making a deep commitment to financial literacy, Bank of the West has developed a financial literacy policy with eight different programs, each addressing different markets.  Involved bank employees take a training course geared to the program they are responsible for and each yearly quarter, the bank changes focus, i.e., K-8th grade, high school, adult groups and one open choice quarter.  This year’s projects were extensive, well-defined programs expanded across all age groups.

Independent Bank, McKinney

Silver Award in Marketing, MAXchecking
Independent Bank launched a new product in April called MAXchecking.  This product is an alternative to free checking and generates new deposit relationships with technology users.  MAXchecking appeals to people who are adverse to risk by protecting identity with ID theft protection and cell phone replacement coverage.  During the product launch and sales campaign, Independent Bank opened over 800 new accounts with $11 million in new money opening balances in only 8 weeks.  Bank employees were rewarded with over $40,000 in cash and prizes.  In the following few months, the MAXchecking portfolio comprised over 2,000 accounts and helped drive the banks’ bottom line.

Yoakum National Bank

Silver Award in Marketing
Celebrating 120 years of service in the community, Yoakum National Bank kicked the year off giving back to its community with a food drive resulting in a donation of $2,000 to the local Food Bank.  During the year, the bank sponsored a blood drive and contributed to Earth Day recycling projects.  The highlight event was a community picnic with celebrities from the area, live music, train rides and a radio broadcast from inside the bank.  As strong supporters of the bi-county area, Yoakum National Bank employees ended the year mailing care packages to U.S. soldiers abroad.

ValueBank Texas, Corpus Christi

Silver Award in Marketing
Using word of mouth television commercials with people in their community as the “actors,” ValueBank Texas devised a marketing campaign based on what it means to be a customer of a True Texas Community Bank.  The commercial begins with the statement, “We’re big on Small Business,” and fades into the many testimonies of true personal service, building relationships and the many ways the bank has helped small business customers.  To build a stronger customer relationship, the TV spots are tagged with the customer’s name and business when possible so they receive additional exposure.  Bank employees are excited to see their customers in these commercials and take ownership of the relationships, as they are the core reason these customers feel like part of the ValueBank Texas family.

Independent Bank, McKinney

Silver Award for Community Service, Relay for Life
Independent Bank takes a direct interest in the American Cancer Societies’ Relay for Life: Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back!  Many of the bank’s employees or family members have been touched by cancer.  Independent Bank employees across Texas served the relays with events, financing, sponsorships, team leaders and committee members.  They helped raise thousands of dollars dedicated to research and finding a cure.  Bank employees continue to celebrate the courageous survivors, remember friends and family who have lost the cancer battle and will continue to fight back.

Jefferson Bank, San Antonio

Silver Award for Architectural Design
Serving their community is important to Jefferson Bank, and they are currently extending to the Boerne community with a new “green” banking center.  The bank conveys to their community that they are a “safe harbor” for financial needs and offers products and services that remain at the forefront of technology.

HCSB, A State Banking Association, Kerrville

Silver Award in Marketing
Important to the HCSB marketing campaign was their brand promise, who and what really matters to customers.  Internally, employees came first, so the bank took action to inspire them with information sessions, posters, videos and “cause” wallet cards.  Externally, a billboard, 30 television, 60 radio spots and 14 print ad campaigns were developed with the message that while much had changed since HCSB started, the bank was here to stay – doing what it had done best – building and believing in relationships one customer at a time.  Employee morale is high, deposit and loan growth goals have been exceeded, and customer referrals remain a mainstay as HCSB celebrates 77 years as an independent community bank.

Independent Bank, McKinney

Silver Award in Marketing, Employee Appreciation Events
An integral element of Independent Bank’s mission statement is to “create rewarding careers for our employees.”  The bank recognized that its employees were its most valuable asset in the community, as they deliver quality service and protect, and defend the bank.  IB honors their employees periodically with an annual celebration, recognizing every 5 years of employee service.  The bank’s May 2011 celebration included gifts of appreciation and speaker Dr. Rick Rigsby, author of “Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout.”

Citizens State Bank, Somerville

Silver Award for Community Service
All six branches of Citizens State Bank in Burleson County participate in Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer. Throughout the year, they held fundraisers unique to their area, such as turkey shoots, strawberry sales, bake sales and softball games. Teams were formed and the whole community participated in the relay.  Many of the bank’s employees have been personally affected by cancer constituting an overwhelming involvement in this event. Over $16,000 was raised by Citizens State Bank this year with a total of $51,000 raised throughout Burleson County.

American State Bank, Lubbock

Silver Award for Marketing
In an effort to celebrate being a community bank and bring community awareness to their “Star” logo, ASB hired an advertising agency to create a marketing campaign.  The agecy developed the slogan, “For financial strength and stability, look to the star,” informing customers that ASB has big bank services while maintaining a community bank atmosphere.  As hoped, within five months of the campaign, the bank achieved significant increases in accounts, with a 26.5% increase in Teen Banking accounts and an 8.5% increase in Goodcents accounts.

First National Bank, Port Lavaca

Silver Award for Architectural Design, Lighthouse Theme
Adding to the view and mood of the resort fishing villages they reside in, the lighthouse designs of the First National Banks in Seadrift and Port O’Connor bring a positive change to the skyline.  Both have observation decks accessed by spiral staircases and community rooms available for groups or organizational meetings.

Jefferson Bank, San Antonio

Silver Award in Marketing, Consumer/Community
Updating their website, the Jefferson Bank included a mobile-optimized version of their website that pulls content from the primary site.  They have a “Go Mobile” site for mobile phones and an app for iPhones.  The bank accomplished a more user-friendly feel on their website by adding the online banking login to the home page and introducing customers to phishing alerts, card frauds and current promotions.

Citizens National Bank of Texas, Henderson

Bronze Award for Community Service
To celebrate their 80th anniversary and give back to the community, Citizens National Bank held a contest seeking an artist to design a mural highlighting the past 80 years of the city and/or Rusk County.  Janet Wallace, an art teacher at the local high school was the winning artist and muralist Denna Miller, Longview, replicated her design on Henderson’s Western Auto building.  The mural is a collage of cultural, educational and artistic value, capturing aspects of news, business, history and landmarks over the past 80 years.  A bronze plaque on the mural reads, “This mural is dedicated to the community of Henderson and Rusk County by Citizens National Bank in appreciation of our 80 years of partnership”.  Dedicated September 24, 2010.

LegacyTexas Bank, Plano

Bronze Award in Marketing
LegacyTexas Bank decided to meet the country’s financial crisis head-on with a campaign that would set them apart from their competitors.  Full-page color ads were placed in publications throughout their market titled “Texas Wisdom.”  The ads consisted of straight talk about what it means to the customer to bank with a community bank.  Bank employees engaged in several community outreach programs, one of which was a Veteran’s Day “Salute to the Troops.”  Employees, officers and families worked to assemble and ship hundreds of packages to U.S. troops who had trained or were born in Texas.

Fort Hood National Bank

Category:  Financial Literacy
Bronze
Fort Hood National Bank serves the largest armored Army post in the U.S. with seven banking centers and ensures that soldiers have access to the information they need, whether they are deployed or residing in the local area.  The bank supports the Fort Hood Financial Readiness Program providing financial advice, credit classes and includes teaching the FDIC Money Smart adult education program.  Bank employees perform a pre-deployment briefing to soldiers and families preparing for long-term separation and continue to participate and support the Military Money Saves Program.

Lone Star Capital Bank, San Antonio

Category:  Community Service
Bronze
For the past 10 years, Lone Star Capital Bank has participated in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Project providing Christmas gifts for local children.  This year, bank employees included senior citizens in their gift giving and ended the holiday season with the largest number of recipients in the bank’s history.  A special thank you went out to very generous bank customers, one in particular who donated $500, enabling Lone Star Capital to give an additional gift to those “forgotten angels” who were not provided for by any sponsoring organization.

First Victoria National Bank

Category:  Marketing, People Campaign
Bronze
This year, First Victoria National Bank centered their attention on their officers and employees noting that they consider them their greatest asset.  Providing exceptional customer service, the employees make the difference between First Victoria and other financial products providers.  First Victoria has been in business since 1867 and holds 49% of the market share in the city, thanks in part to their great staff.

Star Bank of Texas, Fort Worth

Category:  Community Service
Bronze
Star Bank has a very special friend, Terry, who is beating a currently incurable cancer. Through the treatment center Terry visited every 2 months, he was inspired to deliver hope to cancer patients, so he set out to travel the western U.S. visiting cancer survivors.  The bank paid for his fuel and Star Bank employees organized fundraisers, anything to bring in money for his travels.  The whole community followed Terry’s Big Adventure on his website and blogs.  Now home, Terry continues to spread hope with speaking engagements, blogs and a new website, HopeElevated.org.  Star Bank of Texas has been extremely honored to play a part in Terry’s Big Adventure.

Texas First Bank, Texas City

Category:  Marketing, Spring Broke
Bronze
Campaigning directly to Generation Y in the Houston Metro Area, Texas First Bank embarked on a promotion to encourage spring breakers to spend money locally by staying in the area.  The program was called “Spring Broke”.  The bank marketed a “cool, hip, innovative account” designed for young customers.  A weeklong event included the bank’s social media sites, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel, Houston’s teen radio station promos, an electronic newsletter and more.  However quick, the promotion saw success in social media increase, online checking applications and many online leads.

Fort Hood National Bank, Fort Hood

Category:  Community Service
Bronze
Over the years, FHNB employees have been dedicated to ensuring soldiers have access to the information they need, whether they are deployed or residing in the local area.  The bank understands the needs of the military community and tailors many programs to meet their requirements.  Bank executives attended over 532 ceremonies, charities and community events in the last year, and the bank has sponsored and supported many campaigns.  The Fort Hood soldiers and their family members are a high priority and this bank gets great satisfaction in supporting the loyal and dedicated men and women of our nation’s armed forces.

First Victoria National Bank

Category:  Marketing, Big Day Celebration
Bronze
Seven of First Victoria’s banking centers held a special one-day event called “Big Day,” inviting the community to an open house.  The banks offered new account specials such as free business checking and a $25 to $50 buy back on account transfers from competing banks.  In the following week, more accounts were opened than in the previous 6 weeks average.

Yoakum National Bank

Category:  Architectural Design
Certificate of Merit
It’s an automated teller machine all dressed up!  You wouldn’t think a building this small could have so much history.  The first teller machine for the bank was installed in 1983.  In 1993, the little building was relocated to a corner in front of the bank.  The significance is that during this time, the bank was moving away from data centers to internal processing.  Subsequently, painted blue for local school “Bulldog Pride,” recently modernized with rock.  The corner never looked so good!

First National Bank, Port Lavaca

Category:  Community Service
Certificate of Merit
In 2010 First National Bank in Port Lavaca was proud to received Business of the Year Award’s from two local entities, Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and LULAC Council #671.  These awards were not the first community awards the bank has received as its sponsorships and memberships in the community have grown.  Bank employees have been active for many years in their community.  Bake sales with proceeds going to Relay for Life, Calhoun County Food Pantry, the county’s humane society and many social clubs are just a few of their projects.

Jefferson Bank, San Antonio

Category:  Marketing, Branding
Certificate of Merit
The new mission statement for Jefferson Bank, “Earning long term relationships every day through integrity, responsiveness and commitment. This is personal to us,” reiterates how important community is to this long-standing, family-owned bank.  This statement was carried through their marketing materials focusing on what is personal to the communities they serve in.  The bank and employees actively support local organizations, community publications and events.

First Victoria National Bank

Category:  Marketing, Grand Opening
Certificate of Merit
First Victoria National Bank heralded in a new banking center in Spring, Texas with a Wii bowl-a-thon, hot dogs, cotton candy and snow cones.  About 100 people enjoyed music, door prizes and more.  Free checking accounts with no minimum balance or monthly service charge were offered with a deposit of $50 or more.