TexasBank Decatur’s staff brings more than 270 years of banking experience. Wise County Market President Andrew Rottner and Decatur Market President Nate Bayless lead a team that includes VP/Retail Market Manager Debra Meador, VP/Commercial Lending Tag Sparks, AVP/Senior Relationship Banker Terry Berube, AVP/Mortgage Loan Officer Traci Byrom, AVP/Senior Commercial Lending Assistant Brenda Appel, Junior Commercial Lending Assistant Meghanne Redwine, Customer Relationship Banker Emily Black, Senior Teller Connie Redwine, Teller Sandy Hensley, Teller Hannah Christensen. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
TexasBank will officially open its Decatur branch next week — bringing a new branch to the area, but a familiar team.
The branch, located off Farm Road 51, is the latest addition for the Fort Worth-based community bank. Though the building is new, the staff inside bring more than 200 years of combined banking experience in Wise County — much of it at the former First State Bank location just down the road.
Leading the expansion are Andrew Rottner and Nate Bayless, serving as TexasBank’s Wise County president and Decatur branch president, respectively. The staff also includes longtime local bankers Debra Meador, vice president/retail market manager; Terry Berube, assistant vice president/senior relationship manager; and Connie Redwine, senior teller. Each has more than 30 years of experience serving customers in the area.
“It really was like bringing the band back together,” Rottner said. “But I have been saying it’s more like bringing the family back. The family is all back home together.”
Founded in Brownwood in 1966, TexasBank is now headquartered in Fort Worth, recently expanding further into the North Texas Market. President and CEO Greg Dodds said Decatur stood out as an opportunity to take the next step.
“We see Decatur as an extremely attractive market for what it is today and what it will be tomorrow,” Dodds said. “I think TexasBank and Decatur share a lot of the same values, it’s the right cultural fit and I hope we can grow with this community.”
Dodds said the decision wasn’t just about hiring experienced bankers — it was about investing in a growing area.
“When I drove around town with Andrew and Nate, it felt familiar,” he said. “I could see they were focused on relationships and service. That’s what makes a bank successful.”
TexasBank currently holds $2.5 billion in assets. Dodds said continued growth will require proving the bank’s community-first approach.
While the relationship provides TexasBank with immediate community connection and a banker looking to open a branch with a head start, Rottner said the bank also showed a willingness to invest in Decatur.
Amber Danford, chief experience officer, said the move is about people.
“We’re essentially bringing the TexasBank culture to Decatur — and we’ve got the best team in Wise County doing it,” she said.
TexasBank Decatur’s staff pose inside their new location. The bank will host a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting July 9 at 1415 S. FM 51 Decatur, TX 76234. Due to limited parking, the bank said they will provide a shuttle for attendees who need to park across the street. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
How it started
Rottner, who helped launch North Texas Bank in Decatur in 2004 and led its merger with First State Bank in 2014, parted ways with First State Bank in 2023. After a brief hiatus, he began exploring the idea of launching another bank.
Initially, he considered chartering a new institution — a de novo bank — similar to his 2004 approach. But regulatory hurdles and approval timelines of 18 months or more led him to seek a partner with an existing charter.
That search brought him to TexasBank.
After early conversations, TexasBank executives visited Decatur and attended a private dinner with local leaders.
“When we pulled that dinner together in 24 hours and they saw who showed up, it told them everything they needed to know about our relationships in the county,” Rottner said. “The next day, Greg called and said, ‘We’re in.’”
Most of the Decatur staff, including Bayless, joined the effort this spring.
“It was like going from a 1930s courtship to modern speed dating,” Bayless joked.
A familiar challenge
Opening the branch has meant navigating regulatory approvals, hiring staff, renovating the building and adjusting to new systems. But for this team, it’s not unfamiliar territory.
Back in 2004, many of them were part of the launch of North Texas Bank — which had its quirks, including a drive-thru with a broken bell.
“We made a sign that said, ‘Honk once for deposits, twice for withdrawals,’” Rottner said. “People still remember that. Some still honk.”
The new TexasBank branch — a 2,500-square-foot space next door to Kwik Kar — is already operational. The team is scouting locations for a more permanent, larger home.
And while Rottner wants to work out all the bugs in the new branch, he said a bank’s success isn’t about the building.
“What I keep stressing to the staff — and Nate does, too — is that people bank with people,” he said. “We want the community to understand why we’re here. TexasBank aligns with who we are, which means it aligns with this county and its people.”
He pointed to employees like Meador, who has worked with generations of Wise County families over her 43-year career.
TexasBank will host a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting July 9 at its Decatur branch at 1415 S. FM 51 Decatur, TX 76234. The event is open to the public. Rottner said it will be part of showing the bank’s intended role in the community.
“You won’t see our slogan — ‘Proven. Local. Strong.’ — on anything here yet,” Rottner said. “We have to earn that again. As individuals, maybe we already have — but as a team, under a new banner, we feel a responsibility to prove it all over again.”
“When I started North Texas Bank, people just said, ‘I bank at the bank,’ and everyone knew what that meant,” he added. “Later, it was the same with us. We’d love to earn that again. When people say ‘the bank,’ we hope they mean TexasBank.”
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