EVP, Houston Market President, William Griffin, discusses plans to grow the bank’s Houston presence to match the level of success achieved in Dallas-Fort Worth. Deposits went from zero to $225M in just 2 years, demonstrating his and the bank’s commitment to bridging the gap between its DFW and Houston markets. The bank aims to provide personalized banking, mortgage services, and treasury management to small- and medium-sized businesses and their employees in Houston while leveraging the latest technology to deliver responsive, personalized service. Dallas and Houston Business Journals have the story >
Susser Bank aims to make its presence in Houston as large as it is in Dallas, even though it has a decades-long head start in the latter, the bank’s Houston-area leader said.
The Dallas-based bank is led by Chairman and CEO Sam L. Susser, who previously led Houston-based Susser Petroleum Partners, which was acquired by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP in 2014 and then renamed Sunoco LP (NYSE: SUN) and relocated to Dallas. In 2018, Susser Banc Holdings Corp. acquired a majority stake in Susser’s previous parent company, BancAffiliated Inc.. Affiliated Bank NA was renamed Susser Bank in May 2021.
The bank’s Dallas presence dates back to 1959, but its Houston operations started in May 2021 when William Griffin joined as executive vice president and Houston market president. Locally, the bank started with a loan production office before opening its first full-service branch location at 1900 Post Oak Blvd. in early 2023.
Susser Bank had $1.26 billion in deposits in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, compared with $225.27 million in deposits in the Houston metro as of June 30, 2023, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data. Overall, the bank had $2.1 billion in assets, $1.9 billion in deposits and a $1.5 billion loan book as of Sept. 30. The bank is committed to closing the gap between its Houston and Dallas markets, Griffin said.
The Houston market is important for the bank, and particularly for Sam Susser, Griffin told the Houston Business Journal.
“He believes the Houston market should be as big as the Dallas market, even though they started a long time before we did,” Griffin said.
Susser Bank hit the ground running when it first entered the market, and opening its first full-service branch has only accelerated that growth, Griffin said. The bank grew its loans and deposits by double digits last year — a trend he expects will continue in the years to come. Additionally, it has built a team of 11 employees, most of whom are experienced bankers in the Houston market, Griffin said.
Susser Bank’s core strategy is to be a commercial bank serving small- and medium-sized businesses and their owners and employees, Griffin said. The bank offers private and personal banking services, a full-service mortgage operation and a treasury-management platform. Griffin said being led by someone like Susser is a differentiator for the bank in the market.
“The fact that we are growing a bank that’s led by an entrepreneur, we think that is a great selling point for growing our business and it makes us a little different,” Griffin said.
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