Cutting the ribbon at the new regional headquarters for PlainsCapital Bank are (from left) City Councilman Rudy Garza, State Representative Todd Hunter, PlainsCapital Bank Corpus Christi Market President Frank Hastings, Mayor Nelda Martinez, Monsignor Thomas McGettrick, Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce member Rosie Collin, PlainsCapital Bank Chairman Alan B. White and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce member Dr. Hilda Garza. The ribbon cutting was held Feb. 4 at 500 N. Shoreline Blvd, now known as the PlainsCapital Bank Building. Courtesy Photo
A building at 500 N. Shoreline Blvd. is now known as PlainsCapital Bank Building after a ribbon cutting for the bank’s new regional headquarters this week. Bank officials also handed over a $100,000 check to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to provide scholarship for students enrolled in the finance program. All three actions point to a continued and strengthened commitment to the Coastal Bend area said market president for Corpus Christi Frank Hastings.
“We’re extremely excited about being in the Coastal Bend and Corpus Christi specifically,” Hastings told Corpus Christi Business News. “We’ve read the headlines about what’s happening here, all the growth, the foreign investment. That’s why we’re excited to participate in this thriving local economy.”
PlainsCapital moved into Corpus Christi in 2013 when it took over the First National Bank of Edinburg, which was failing. The company kept three of the Edinburg's five banks — the ones that best fit the company’s business model as a commercial lending bank. Three years later, PlainsCapital has opened a new regional headquarters and is planning to build a new facility on Sarasota on the city’s Southside.
“We hope we are perceived as a contributor to this community,” Hastings said. “We are bullish on this community and want to participate in its growth.”
Founded in Lubbock in 1988, PlainsCapital is the sixth largest banking company in the state. Despite its size, it prides itself on its small town character, referring to its business as “relationship banking.” It is known for its contributions of time and money in the communities it serves, which includes more than 67 locations statewide.
“We make relationships with business owners,” Hastings said when asked to define the term relationship banking. “Our customers deal with one officer only. They have one point of contact. We don’t ask them to call a money center in Houston or Dallas or Alabama.”
The bank also has local lending authority and local underwriting abilities.
“We can be more responsive to our customers and give them a true sense that their business is important to us,” he continued.
That connection to community is what brought Hastings to the bank. He worked for three other banking companies before coming to PlainsCapital. He particularly likes that the company hires locally.
“This is the best I’ve seen and I’m proud of that,” he said. “PlainsCapital didn’t come in here and bring people from Dallas to run things. Most of us are from Corpus Christi. Most of us have been here most of our lives.”
Hastings is a 30-year veteran of the area and the banking business.
“I’ve seen the cycles, I've been through the recessions and the real estate crashes,” he said. “I’ve seen the growth and lack thereof. I’m more bullish now than I have ever been regarding our economy. The growth in this city is obvious.”
Which is why PlainsCapital plans to continue supporting the entrepreneurs and growing the businesses that make Corpus Christi economically sound, he said.
"We like small, medium and large opportunities," he said. "It helps us diversify our portfolio. We have an opportunity to build relationships with business of all sizes. The small may start small, but with out help, we can help them grow their businesses."
