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Texas-based American National Bank & Trust recently opened its permanent location in Denton, Chairman and CEO Dwight Berry announced in March.
The full-service branch opened at 120 S. Carroll Blvd. in December 2020. AMNAT’s banking team will serve clients in the two-story 12,000 square foot space after working remotely for two years while construction of the space was underway, the president said. from Denton Market, Marty Rivers. The branch provides commercial and personal banking services, including cash management, Small Business Administration loans, trust and investment management, and mortgages.
Some members of Denton’s banking team previously operated from a temporary location across from Mulberry Street Cantina, connecting with customers there, via Zoom or however it was more convenient, while others worked in other branches until the permanent Denton site opened, Rivers said.
“It was actually a good time to be in a temporary bank while you are building a new branch because a lot of customers weren’t going out and we weren’t going out, so [we were] sort of under the radar, ”Rivers said.
In addition to moving to the new space, the branch recently welcomed two new members: Andre R. Bailey as Vice President of Commercial Lending and Austin Anderson as Head of Business Development. Bailey has over 17 years of national commercial real estate and SBA lending experience, while Anderson is a graduate of the University of North Texas and has worked in banking in Denton since 2012.
The new bankers are part of a 14-member team that has a wealth of experience in North Texas, Rivers said. AMNAT has been in Flower Mound for 22 years, and Rivers himself has been a Denton banker for 28 years. Rivers said Denton’s thriving market and location made it a good fit for AMNAT, a $ 1.2 billion bank with 12 locations in North Texas.
What sets AMNAT apart from some other banks is its focus on helping small businesses and offering comprehensive trust services, Rivers said.
“We love helping small businesses and primarily love financing commercial real estate,” Rivers said. “In this office we have a senior vice president responsible for trust and offer trust services, and there really aren’t that many banks here that offer those services. We have a mortgage team here and lenders and processors here in town, so whoever gets a mortgage with us has personalized service and we insure our own mortgages.
Despite working remotely, Rivers said Denton’s banking team remained busy, providing Paycheck Protection Program loans to some clients who couldn’t get them at major banks and helping other clients. having principles that have struggled in the midst of the pandemic to find solutions.
While the pandemic has brought new clients to seek help with things like P3 loans, it has also presented some challenges by preventing bankers from going in person to solicit business. Still, the branch has plenty to keep busy – Rivers originally intended to lease professional office space in the new building, but with the rapid growth of the team, it has expanded across the board. first floor and halfway up the second, with plans for more members soon.
In the meantime, Rivers said the branch team were just happy to officially call Denton home.
“I have been here for a long time and I have been involved in a lot of things and we were able to bring them [AMNAT] in town, so we’re thrilled to be here, ”said Rivers.
