Texas Banker Jody Grant Named 2001 Community Banker of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2001
American Banker honors Grant's innovation and achievements
New York - Hailing him for guiding one of the most successful start-up banks in
history, American Banker
last night named Joseph M. "Jody" Grant, CEO of Texas Capital Bancshares, with
its 2001 Community Banker of the Year Award.
American Banker
is the award-winning daily newspaper of the financial services industry. Grant
was among four industry leaders honored at a ceremony for the 11th annual
Banker of the Year Awards in New York.
Other 2001 honorees included Kerry Killinger of Washington Mutual. Inc., who
received the Banker of the Year Award; Terrence Murray, CEO of FleetBoston
Financial Corp., who was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award; and
Gordon Nixon, CEO of Royal Bank of Canada, who was named Innovator of the Year.
In just three years, Texas Capital has grown from a little-known de novo to a
$1.1 billion-asset bank, with nearly $900 million of deposits and over 200
employees. It turned its first profit, a modest $537,000, in the first quarter
of 2001 and its earning had nearly quadrupled, to $2.05 million, by the third
quarter. David Longobardi, editor in chief of American Banker
, credited Grant's success to the bank's focus on middle market lending, the
ability of its officers to give swift approvals, and its aggressive
implementation of Internet banking services.
The awards gala held on December 5th, at The New York Palace Hotel, marked the
first time American Banker
has presented the 11-year old awards at a live event. The highly anticipated
awards have traditionally been announced in a special year-end issue.
Eleanor Dixson-Hobbs, publisher of American Banker and David Longobardi,
editor in chief of American Banker, hosted the evening's ceremony and
U.S. Representative Mike Oxley (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Committee on
Financial Services, delivered the keynote address. A special report titled Best
in Banking 2001, showcasing the 2001 honorees and a wrap-up of the
year's most important stories and trends, will be published in the December 7th
edition of American Banker
.
"As the Banker of the Year Awards have grown in prominence over the past
decade, we felt the time was right to bring the awards to life with an event
that truly reflected their significance and the contributions that the banking
industry makes to our nation and the world," said Longobardi.
Longobardi said the awards are given to the people who set the highest standards
of "progress, innovation, and performance in banking and financial services
over the past year." American Banker's
editors select the honorees in an independent and journalistic process.
About Texas Capital Bank
Texas Capital Bank is privately owned and operated by the holding company Texas
Capital Bancshares, Inc. Launched in January 1999 with initial capitalization
of $80 million, and believed to be the largest start-up bank in U.S. history,
Texas Capital Bancshares was founded by experienced, entrepreneurial bankers
determined to help other successful individuals and businesses achieve their
financial goals. The Texas Capital philosophy has been well received as
evidenced by the bank's growth in total assets to over $1.1 billion. Texas
Capital targets professionals and small and mid-sized businesses and currently
has full-service locations in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio.
About American Banker
For more than 165 years, American Banker, a Thomson Financial
publication, has been the banking and financial service industry's premier
daily source of information, news and analysis. For more information about American
Banker
and its related products and services, please visit www.americanbanker.com.
About Thomson Financial
Thomson Financial is a US$2 billion provider of information services and work
solutions to the worldwide financial community. Through the widest range of
products and services in the industry, Thomson Financial helps clients in more
than 70 countries make better decisions, be more productive and achieve
superior results. Thomson Financial is part of The Thomson Corporation (TTC),
one of the world's leading information companies. TTC, with annual revenues of
more than US$6 billion, has interests in specialized information and newspaper
publishing. TTC's common shares are traded on the Toronto, Montreal, and London
stock exchanges.