Pub. 12 2015 Issue 2

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S Summer • 2015 23 BANK NEWS Heartland Financial USA, Inc., to Acquire Com- munity Bancorporation of New Mexico, Inc. Heartland Financial USA, Inc. has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Community Bancorporation of New Mexico, Inc., parent company of Community Bank in San- ta Fe, New Mexico. According to terms of the Agreement, Heartland will acquire Community Bancorporation in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $11.3 million. Heartland expects the transaction to be accretive to its earn- ings per share within the first full year of combined opera- tions. Under terms of the Merger Agreement, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, and simultaneous with closing of the transaction, Community Bank will be merged into Heartland’s New Mexi- co Bank & Trust subsidiary. At December 31, 2014, Community Bank had assets of ap- proximately $181 million, loans outstanding of $108 million and deposits of $154 million. In addition to its main office in Santa Fe, Community Bank operates branch offices in Es- panola, Los Alamos, Tierra Amarilla and Albuquerque. “We are excited about the prospect of expanding our New Mexico franchise,” said Lynn B. Fuller, Chairman and CEO of Heartland. “Community Bank is an excellent fit for our com- munity banking business model, and its locations match our desire to ‘fill-in’ attractive areas in or close to our existing ge- ographies. Community Bank solidifies our presence in Santa Fe while bringing the opportunity to serve new commercial and retail customers in Espanola and Los Alamos.” Anne W. Honstein, President and CEO of Community Bank added, “We believe our customers will benefit from this merg- er. They will have access to a wide selection of convenient financial products and services offered by New Mexico Bank & Trust. We will be joining a bank that is committed to face- to-face customer service and locally based community bank- ing that will continue our long tradition of strong community support. At the same time, our customers will have access to a wider menu of financial services and enhanced technology. Greg Leyendecker, President and CEO of New Mexico Bank & Trust commented, “We are eager to bring our successful community banking philosophy into new areas of New Mex- ico. Along with our focus on exceptional customer service, we will offer an expanded menu of products such as Wealth Management. Most importantly, this merger makes it possi- ble for the customers of Community Bank to keep their com- munity bank.  Century Bank Completes Conversion of Valley National Century Bank in Santa Fe has reported that it complet- ed its conversion of Espanola-based Valley National Bank’s accounts to the operating systems of Century Bank. Century Bank purchased certain Valley National Bank assets and ac- quired deposit accounts on January 16, 2015. Century Bank opened for business on February 16 at Valley National’s loca- tion at 322 N. Riverside Dr.  WestStar in El Paso and First National in Fabens, Texas to Merge WestStar Bank, El Paso, and First National Bank in Fabens jointly announced June 5 the signing of an intent to merge agreement under which WestStar Bank and First National Bank will enter into a strategic merger. Based on financial results as of March 31, 2015, the com- bined bank will have approximately $1.5 billion in total as- sets, $1.3 billion in total deposits, and $1 billion in total loans with 17 branch locations across greater El Paso and Las Cru- ces. WestStar Bank, established in 1990, is a locally-owned community bank with assets of more than $1 billion and 10 branches throughout El Paso and Las Cruces. First National Bank is a locally-owned community bank serving the El Paso region since 1920. According to the bank, First National is the only El Paso bank that has served the El Paso market for over nine decades. It has assets of more than $300 million with seven branches.  Century Bank’s Market President Gary Lenzo Retires Gary Lenzo, Century Bank’s Las Cruces Market President, has announced that he will end his three-decade banking ca- reer effective June 30, 2015. Mr. Lenzo indicated that he will be retiring to spend more time with his family and to work on his golf game. Mr. Lenzo has worked with Century Bank for the past five years and joined the Century team to establish their office in Las Cruces. Mr. Lenzo says, “My tenure with Century Bank has been one of the best in my career and I look forward to supporting the continued growth of Century Bank’s Las Cru- ces office.” Century Bak CEO, Don Padgett, praised Mr. Lenzo’s lead- ership, stating that he helped build a solid foundation for the bank to serve Las Cruces and Dona Ana County for many years to come. Mr. Padgett also stated, “Gary will be missed by the entire Century Bank team. We would like to wish Gary the best and we truly appreciate what he has done for our bank in Las Cruces.” 