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Bowie, TX—Legend Bank, a community bank with a strategic focus in sponsor banking and value-aligned financial solutions, announces a partnership with Fufild, an app-based marketplace designed to help employers tackle challenges in recruiting, retention, and company culture. Fufild gives employees the freedom to choose subscriptions and services that they love and can use every day – which means helping them stay happy, healthy, refreshed, and motivated.
This collaboration will leverage Legend Bank’s modern technology platform to support Fufild with embedded payment orchestration and ledgering capabilities. By integrating with a cloud-based, API-forward platform, Fufild is positioned for future success and scalability.
Jared Robinson, SVP, Director of Fintech remarked “At Legend Bank, we believe in driving innovation and supporting businesses in the next era of financial services, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner than Fufild. Their visionary leadership, Care-First mindset, and core values are directly aligned with ours, and their product is top-notch and truly a greenfield market. Being able to serve companies that will impact lives for the better is what drives us forward, and that is exactly what Fufild has built.”
“Partnering with Legend Bank was a key decision for us in preparing for our future growth” remarked Joel Legg, CTO of Fufild. “One of the things we appreciate about Legend Bank is they are a values-driven community bank that is also leveraging modern technology. This, combined with their constant service is what excites us about building upon their infrastructure to support our growing needs.”
About Legend Bank, N.A.:
Legend Bank, N.A. has 13 locations throughout North Texas with total assets of over $1.1 billion. Legend Bank serves the people and businesses in and around Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona, Whitesboro, Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitewright, Fort Worth and North Richland Hills and is one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities for 134 years and remains focused on their mission to enrich the lives of their stakeholders by providing Legendary financial services and resources. Additionally, Legend Bank brings its community-first mindset into modern financial services with their robust infrastructure, supporting fintechs, software companies, and more. Find out more at www.integratelegend.bank.
About Fufild, Inc.:
Fufild is revolutionizing employee retention and engagement through its PersonalFulfillment-as-a-Service™(PFaaS) platform. Rooted in a Care-First philosophy, Fufild helps employers attract and retain top talent by empowering employees with the ability to choose from curated subscriptions and services that enhance their well-being (whole life), enjoyment, convenience, and personal growth. By prioritizing employee fulfillment beyond the paycheck, Fufild fosters stronger workplace cultures, improves retention, employee engagement, and transforms the employer-employee relationship. More information about Fufild is available at www.fufild.com.
Building Financial Confidence Together
Strategic partnership supports Modak’s mission to build the next generation of financially confident kids and teens.
August 14, 2025: MENLO PARK, Calif. & BOWIE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Modak, the financial app designed to help families raise financially smart kids and teens, today announced a new partnership with Legend Bank, N.A., a Texas-based community bank. As of June 2025, Legend Bank officially serves as Modak’s regulated sponsor bank, providing the banking infrastructure behind Modak’s parent accounts and youth debit card program.
This partnership marks a major milestone in Modak’s growth and long-term stability, reinforcing its commitment to delivering secure, reliable financial tools to the families it serves nationwide.
“Trust is everything when you’re building financial tools for the next generation,” said Madhu Yalamarthi, CEO and Co-Founder of Modak. “That’s why we chose to work directly with a sponsor bank that shares our standards for transparency, security, and real-time accuracy. With Legend Bank, we’re able to reconcile every user ledger daily — a level of operational clarity that puts our families first.”
“Partnering with Legend Bank is a key step forward in our mission to help young people build strong financial foundations,” added Julie Valencia, Head of Operations and Compliance at Modak. “Legend Bank’s trusted community banking model and commitment to compliance align perfectly with our vision of modern, responsible youth banking.”
Modak’s technical integration with Legend Bank enables a tightly coupled ledgering system, where user balances are updated and reconciled in real-time, every day. This architecture ensures funds are transparently accounted for at all times — delivering the operational rigor needed to build and maintain trust with families.
“We’re proud to partner with Modak and support their mission by providing the bank-level stability needed to scale their impact,” said Jared Robinson, Senior Vice President, Director of Fintech at Legend Bank. “Their product and team are excellent; they are a natural alignment with our strategic focus.”
“Modak’s mission is to help the next generation learn how to manage money with confidence as well as elevating families and communities across the country,” added Santana Gilreath, Senior Vice President, Sr. Risk Management, Compliance & CRA Officer. “As a community bank who wants to enrich our communities, we couldn’t ask for a more mission-aligned partner.”
Modak completed its migration to Legend Bank and has since relaunched key features for families, including its popular allowances tool, automatic transfers, and in-app savings goals.
Modak is a financial platform designed to help families raise financially smart, independent kids and teens. With tools like automated allowances, spend tracking, savings goals, and real-time parent oversight, Modak empowers youth to build financial confidence from a young age — all through a safe, family-focused banking experience. Modak is founded by Madhu Yalamarthi (Stanford MBA and MS; Arjay Miller Scholar) and supported with $19 Million USD in funding from Notable Capital, Nazca, Monashees, and 25 other leading VCs and angel investors. Learn more at www.modakmakers.com.
Legend Bank, N.A. is a Texas-based community bank with 14 locations throughout North Texas and total assets of over $1.1 billion. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities as a trusted bank for over 134 years and remains focused on their mission to enrich the lives of their stakeholders by providing Legendary financial services and resources. Additionally, Legend Bank brings its community-first mindset into modern financial services with their robust infrastructure, supporting fintechs, software companies, and more with their embedded banking solutions. Find out more at www.integratelegend.bank.
Bowie, TX—Legend Bank, a community bank serving North Texans for over 134 years, is pleased to announce their partnership with Infinant, a banking platform provider focused on the community and regional bank market for their newly launched Fintech Partner Banking division.
Legend Bank is advancing a growth strategy that includes expanding from a geographic to digital footprint while diversifying their deposit gathering through new distribution channels associated with their embedded finance initiatives.
In 2023, the bank officially began its journey to craft an impactful embedded finance strategy to drive scalable innovation at the bank. The bank selected Infinant’s Interlace platform to power their embedded finance programs after evaluating various fintech partner banking and modern core providers.
While many banks have relied on monolithic core systems through slow and complex integrations or outsourced their ledger to fintech partner banking providers, Infinant flips the model, giving banks the ability to control their programs and maintain existing regulatory and compliance controls. This unites banks, fintech and regulators in a new wave of program management to start or scale their embedded finance business models.
“Infinant’s deep experience in banking technology and their advanced platform tailored to bankers were key factors in our decision to select them as our partner,” said John Michael Davis, who leads Fintech Partnerships. Additionally, according to Chris Hurcomb, Fintech Operations Manager, “The Interlace platform is flexible and adaptive to a wide variety of business models, yet also minimizes the technical burden upon us as a bank.”
Another key reason that Legend Bank chose Infinant was due to its truly direct model which it focused on from the beginning. “Complete ownership and visibility of program management is fundamental to how we see fintech partner banking being performed well,” remarked Kristy Johnson, AVP, Fintech Compliance Lead. Further expanding upon that, Santana Gilreath, SVP, Sr. Risk Management, Compliance & CRA Officer stated: “By allowing the bank to fully perform and provide oversight of regulatory and compliance controls, it sets both the bank and our fintech partners up for long-term success. It was a perfect fit for our culture and strategy.”
Legend Bank joins the growing list of community and regional banks that have leap-frogged over the first wave of fintech partner banking providers. The Interlace platform allows banks to pivot away from outsourcing bank controls to fintech partner banking providers and bringing them under bank control. Riaz Syed, CEO and Founder of Infinant noted, “Being able to partner with Legend Bank provides a tremendous opportunity for Infinant to collaborate with those leading the industry and to advance our platform.”
About Legend Bank
Legend Bank N.A. has 13 locations throughout North Texas with total assets of over $1 billion. Legend Bank serves the people and businesses in and around Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona, Whitesboro, Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitewright, Fort Worth and North Richland Hills and is one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities for 134 years and remains focused on their mission to enrich the lives of their stakeholder by providing Legendary financial services and resources.
About Infinant
Charlotte, N.C.-based Infinant provides the growth platform for financial institutions to power their digital and embedded banking channels without core replacement. Infinant differentiates by giving banks the ability to launch multiple channels, with accounts, payments and card, on a single platform under bank-control to satisfy regulators. Infinant creates new value propositions for financial institutions to act and advance their market. To learn more about staying above-the-core, visit www.infinant.com.
For Immediate Release Contact Information
Randi Mitchell
Randi.Mitchell@legend.bank
(817) 490-6720
Legend Bank Announces Update on New Full-Service Bonham Branch Construction
Bonham, TX—Legend Bank is proud to announce an update on their new, full-service branch construction in downtown Bonham at 502 North Center Street. The bank location was originally built over 60 years ago when it opened as Bonham State Bank’s new office in 1960. Legend Bank’s branch manager, Carolyn Stroud, has been serving customers from this location for 43 years.
Legend Bank has announced their plans to re-build their downtown branch to preserve their history and connection to downtown Bonham. They have been working closely with their architects to ensure the new bank location maintains the heritage of downtown Bonham and preserves the important history of the courthouse and downtown square area.
Plans for the new Legend Bank branch are near-final and over the next 90 days they will be preparing to move from their current downtown branch to their temporary location at 2228 North Center Street in Bonham, next to the Legend Bank Convenience Center, at 2232 N. Center Street. Customers will be served by the same friendly bankers at the temporary location and at the Bonham Convenience Center while the new branch is under construction.
“I am proud to have served Bonham customers from this location for so many years. Our customers are so very important to us, and we are so excited to share the plans for our new full-service branch. It will be a beautiful tribute to this community.” said Carolyn Stroud, Legend Bank Bonham Branch Manager, AVP. “We are thankful that we will have a conveniently located temporary branch to provide the banking services they need next door to our Convenience Center. Plus, we will be introducing new convenient banking technologies during this transition that will help our customers as well. While we look forward to our new building construction, we know change can be hard sometimes. I want to reassure customers that our bankers are here to help and make banking as easy as possible during construction. Please reach out to us if you have questions about this transition.”
The Bank has released a rendering of the new location to give Bonham customers a feeling of the planned new Bonham branch. During construction, the current branch location in downtown will be closed and the building will be demolished. New branch construction will begin in that same location in downtown Bonham. The Bank will be using materials to reinforce the downtown Bonham history including brick and stonework, details, and colors that will provide extraordinary curb appeal and will complement the downtown area.
“Preserving our connection to the Bonham community and the downtown square is a priority for us as we design our new full-service location. We want our customers to be proud of the impact we are making in the downtown area to align with the revitalization work done on the Bonham courthouse,” said Garrett Amlin, Bonham Branch President, SVP. “When our new Bonham branch building is open to serve customers after construction is complete, we will be able to provide all of our banking services from our one downtown location offering customers a premiere location with lobby services for personal, business, commercial and mortgage services along with drive-thru banking, ATM and electronic banking services.”
Legend Bank will share more information as plans develop and they prepare for construction. Please check their website at https://www.legend.bank/bank-local-in-bonham for updated information. They also encourage safe deposit customers to reach out to their bankers to discuss their options during construction of the new branch. They would like to thank customers in advance for their patience during the construction and move to the temporary location.
Legend Bank Contact Information
https://www.legend.bank/bank-local-in-bonham
Phone: 903-583-2163
Email: BonhamBranch@legend.bank
About Legend Bank
Legend Bank N.A. has 13 locations throughout North Texas with total assets of over $1 billion. Legend Bank serves the people and businesses in and around Bonham, Sherman, Cooper, Whitewright, Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona, Whitesboro, Fort Worth and North Richland Hills and is one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities for 133 years and remains focused on their mission to enrich the lives of their stakeholder by providing Legendary financial services and resources.
Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. All loans subject to credit approval. NMLS ID 481267
BOWIE, TX—Legend Bank, a community bank serving North Texans for over 132 years, is pleased to announce the appointment of six new members to its Board of Directors: Matt Brown, East Regional President, EVP; Jeff Brooks, Chief Lending Officer, EVP; John Lee, Chief Credit Officer, EVP; Jodie Payne, Chief Operations Officer, EVP; Mike Rigby, South Regional President, EVP; and Bret Meekins, West Regional President, EVP. All the new board members are members of the Legend Bank executive team and they join Jay Bearden, Legend Bank President and CEO, Todd McMurray, Legend Bank CFO and Toni Lucky, Legend Bank Chief Retail Officer on the Legend Bank Board of Directors.
“We are grateful to have these dedicated bank executives serving as Directors on the Legend Bank Board. Their experience with Legend Bank and our customers, employees and communities is crucial to help us fulfill our mission of enriching the lives of our stakeholders by providing Legendary financial services and resources.” said Dr. Fred Renfro, Legend Bank Board Chairman.
Matt Brown has been in banking for 20 years and has been serving Legend Bank customers for five years. As the East Regional President, EVP, Matt is responsible for overseeing the lending in Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitesboro, Whitewright and surrounding locations. He is a graduate of Austin College and has his MBA from the University of North Texas. He is also a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and obtained a Wharton Leadership certificate.
Jeff Brooks has been in banking for over 28 years and has been serving Legend Bank customers and employees for 16 years. As the Chief Lending Officer, Jeff oversees commercial and mortgage lending for all 13 Legend Bank locations. He is a graduate of Baylor University and the Texas Banking Association (TBA) Lending School.
John Lee has been in banking since 1990 when he began his career as a National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). He continued his career as a senior credit officer and commercial lender in multiple North Texas banks. He has been with Legend Bank for over 12 years and oversees credit analysis, consumer lending, loan and mortgage operations, loan review, Compliance/BSA/CRA, audit and enterprise risk management. John received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking.
Jodie Payne has been in banking for over 40 years and has been with Legend Bank for eight years. She began her banking career as a teller and has spent the majority of her career overseeing deposit and account operations providing a plethora of experience and firsthand knowledge that has been extremely important to improving service to Legend Bank customers and increasing internal efficiencies. As the Chief Operations Officer, she is responsible for deposit operations, customer care, electronic banking, core systems, information technology and fraud loss prevention.
Mike Rigby, a Texas Bankers Hall of Fame Honoree and the 2022 Tarrant County Bankers Association Banker of the Year, has been in banking for over 47 years and has served Legend Bank customers since 2017. He is the Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas Board of Directors and also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Council of the Federal Home Loan Banks in Washington, D.C. Chairs. He has previously served as Board Chairman of the Texas Bankers Association and is a member of the Past Chairman’s Council. He is responsible for overseeing the lending at the Legend Bank Tarrant County branches in North Richland Hills and Fort Worth.
Bret Meekins has been with Legend Bank for 35 years and has provided specialized experience in Montague County and surrounding areas. His knowledge of the communities we serve, and his strong agricultural background has helped Legend Bank achieve the honor of being one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. As the West Regional President, EVP, Bret is responsible for overseeing the lending in Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona and surrounding areas. He is also responsible for shareholder relations.
“The appointment of these Legend Bank executives to our Board of Directors is so important to the future of our community bank. Each of our board members helps guide and direct the organization to accomplish our vision to enrich our communities with legendary culture, character and innovation,” said Jay Bearden, Legend Bank President and CEO.
About Legend Bank
Legend Bank N.A. has 13 locations throughout North Texas with total assets of over $952 million. Legend Bank serves the people and businesses in and around Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona, Whitesboro, Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitewright, Fort Worth and North Richland Hills and is one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities for 132 years and remains focused on the philosophy that banking is, first and foremost, about the people you serve, and that serving others is a privilege.
BOWIE, TX—Legend Bank, a community bank serving North Texans for over 130 years, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jay Bearden as President and CEO, following retirement of Legend Bank CEO, Mickey Faulconer, after 18 years of leadership at the bank. Bearden will guide the bank in its mission to serve the personal and business banking needs of its customers and communities. Faulconer will remain on the Legend Bank Board of Directors to provide his continued insight and expertise.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, the executive management team and all the Legend Bank employees, it’s my privilege to thank Mickey Faulconer for his leadership and the impact he has made on Legend Bank over the last 18 years. Faulconer has been a steadfast and strategic leader guiding the organization through record levels of deposits, loans and net income growth,” said Dr. Fred Renfro, Legend Bank Board Chairman. “The board is sincerely grateful to Mickey for his unwavering commitment to the bank as well as the legendary legacy he leaves behind. We wish him the best as he enjoys his well-deserved retirement, and we are honored that he will remain on the Board of Directors to provide continued insight and expertise. We are proud to announce that Jay Bearden will serve as the President and CEO. He brings a wealth of Legend Bank knowledge and experience from his 22 years of service at the bank. For the last two years, he has led the bank as President and for 12 years he has served as Chief Lending Officer and Executive Vice President.”
Faulconer joined the Legend Bank team in 2004 and became President and CEO in 2009. For the last 18 years he has led the bank through numerous bank acquisitions, market expansions and through the global pandemic that started in 2020. As the CEO, he achieved record growth for the organization in assets while creating a family-like culture, which translated into the bank being named a “Best Company to Work for in Texas”, by the Best Companies Group as well as a “Best Bank to Work for in the Nation”, by American Banker, which uses employee surveys as a primary indicator in the results. His accomplishments and accolades are many throughout his career with Legend Bank.
“It’s been a true privilege to serve at Legend Bank as the CEO. The impact this bank and the employees have had on me, and my career are unforgettable,” said Mickey Faulconer. “I am thankful for the experiences that I have had at Legend Bank throughout the years, and I am proud of the outstanding things we have accomplished together as a team. Our employees are so important to me, and I’m honored to have worked with them to accomplish unprecedented growth for the bank. I’d like to thank the employees, board of directors, shareholders, and our communities for their support through the years. I am confident that Jay Bearden will be a remarkable leader as the President and CEO.”
Bearden, a banker since 1992, is a 1988 graduate of Kilgore High School and the son of JC and Betty Bearden. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Management from Baylor University and he graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU in 2008 as Salutatorian of his class, with distinctions in Academics and Leadership. Additionally, he has served on the faculty with the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. He is an active board member for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Northwest Texas and is a member and Deacon of First Baptist Church in Decatur, where he serves in many capacities. In his role as President and CEO, he will oversee all bank operations.
Jay moves into his new role as President and CEO with a desire to continue the great legacy left when Mickey Faulconer retired, “I have the greatest appreciation for Mickey’s outstanding leadership at our bank. He left a legendary legacy and set a remarkable example to follow, said Jay Bearden. “Our team at Legend Bank truly cares for each other, our customers and our communities and that is a culture that I want to continue as I take on the role of President and CEO. It is very important to me that our employees know they are valued and that their ideas and concerns are taken seriously. It is critical that we give our bankers opportunities for personal and professional growth while providing a fun environment to accomplish our mission of serving the banking needs of our communities.”
Legend Bank also announced the addition of Matt Brown to the Executive Management team as the East Regional President, EVP, with leadership over the Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitesboro and Whitewright locations. Brown previously served as the President of the Legend Bank Sherman branch for the past five years. He was integral in overseeing the construction of the full-service Sherman location, transitioning from the Sherman Loan Production Office. “Matt’s focus on helping meet the needs of customers in the fast-growing Sherman and Denison areas continues to be visible in the growth of our Sherman location,” said Jay Bearden Legend Bank President and CEO. “He has consistently been a top lender at Legend Bank, helping the Sherman location exceed deposit and loan growth goals. His leadership and experience in the eastern areas will help Legend Bank continue to expand in the markets we serve.”
Brown is a board member for the Greater Texoma Utility Authority, this board seat is appointed by the Sherman City Council. He is the President-Elect and Board Member for the Grayson Crisis Center and is an Ambassador with the Sherman Chamber of Commerce. Brown graduated from Sulphur Springs High School and graduated from Austin College with a BA in Business Administration and has his MBA from the University of North Texas. He is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and obtained a Wharton Leadership certificate.
“I’m honored to join the executive team and lead our growth eastward as we expand awareness of Legend Bank and continue to serve our current customers,” said Matt Brown. “I am proud that we are a local bank, making local decisions. This is so important because we are truly invested in the communities we serve.” Brown is a resident of Sherman and he and his wife Shannon have three kids, Reid, Rhyan and Rhett. Shannon is a CPA and Professor at Austin College. Matt also enjoys being involved with his kids’ sports.
About Legend Bank
Legend Bank N.A. has 13 locations throughout North Texas with total assets of over $954 million. Legend Bank serves the people and businesses in and around Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls, Nocona, Whitesboro, Sherman, Bonham, Cooper, Whitewright, Fort Worth and North Richland Hills and is one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities for 132 years and remains focused on the philosophy that banking is, first and foremost, about the people you serve and that serving others is a privilege.
Sherman, Texas—Independent Banker magazine, the award-winning monthly publication of the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA), today unveiled its annual 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders list. The award recognizes the nation’s up-and-coming community bank innovators and influencers who represent the future of the industry. Matt Brown, Sherman Branch President, SVP at Legend Bank is named to the list.
“From CEOs to compliance officers, branch managers, lenders and marketers, this annual award continues to uncover extraordinary talent within the community banking industry,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “We congratulate Matt Brown on this well-deserved honor. His deep belief in the community bank business model and passion for supporting his customers and communities, especially in this COVID-19 environment where community bankers continue to step up to serve the needs of customers, should be commended.”
The feature story, which is included in the newly released June issue, highlights how the 40 Under 40 honorees have overcome challenges and answered calls for innovation. The leaders also share their philosophies on leadership and where they see big opportunities for lending. Chosen from hundreds of entries, candidates were judged on the following criteria: character, leadership, community involvement, and innovation. Bank technology services provider FIS, of Jacksonville, Fla., sponsored this year’s program.
“I’m honored to have been named to ICBA Independent Banker’s 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders list,” Matt Brown, Legend Bank Sherman Branch President, SVP said. “Community banks, like Legend Bank, are an integral part of the areas we serve. We help our communities grow by providing expertise and knowledge, but also by volunteering time and resources. Being a community banker is so important to me and I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to make an impact at Legend Bank and within Grayson County and in surrounding areas.”
Matt currently chairs the Legend Leaders Committee, which includes a group of Legend Bank employees that meet quarterly to discuss issues within the bank and how to handle them. This group has improved reporting and reduced our underwriting timeframe process and helped shift responsibilities to other areas of the bank. Matt is a board member for the Greater Texoma Utility Authority, this board seat is appointed by the Sherman City Council. He is the treasurer elect and board member for the Grayson Crisis Center and he is the treasurer and on the executive board for the Sherman Education Foundation. He is an Ambassador with the Sherman Chamber of Commerce.
“We congratulate Matt Brown for being named to this impressive list of community banking leaders,” Mickey Faulconer, Legend Bank CEO said. “His leadership, knowledge of bank lending and interest in helping our bank meet the needs of our communities has impacted us both internally and in Sherman and surrounding communities. We’re so pleased to see him receive the national recognition he deserves.”
About Legend Bank
Legend Bank N.A. has 13 locations throughout North Texas with total assets of over $792 million. Legend Bank serves the people and businesses in and around Sherman, Whitesboro, Bonham, Cooper, Whitewright, Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Bowie, Alvord, Decatur, Henrietta, Wichita Falls and Nocona and is one of the largest cattle lenders in North Texas. Legend Bank has proudly served its communities for 130 years and remains focused on the philosophy that banking is, first and foremost, about the people you serve and that serving others is a privilege. If you would like more information about Legend Bank N.A., visit www.legend.bank.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® creates and promotes an environment where community banks flourish. With more than 50,000 locations nationwide, community banks constitute 99 percent of all banks, employ nearly 750,000 Americans and are the only physical banking presence in one in three U.S. counties. Holding more than $5 trillion in assets, nearly $4 trillion in deposits, and more than $3.4 trillion in loans to consumers, small businesses and the agricultural community, community banks channel local deposits into the Main Streets and neighborhoods they serve, spurring job creation, fostering innovation and fueling their customers’ dreams in communities throughout America. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org.
Bowie, TX—Legend Bank, a community bank serving North Texans for 130 years, is pleased to announce organizational changes, including executive leadership promotions.
Jay Bearden has been promoted to President, after serving as the bank’s Chief Lending Officer and Executive Vice President for over 10 years. Bearden, a banker since 1992, has worked for Legend Bank for over 20 years and also serves as a member of the Legend Bank Board of Directors.
“Jay has a unique understanding of the Legend Bank culture from his dedicated service in leadership roles with our bank,” said Mickey Faulconer, Legend Bank CEO. “His extensive banking expertise and knowledge of our local communities make him the perfect fit as the President of Legend Bank.”
Jay received his Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance and Management from Baylor University and he graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU in 2008 as Salutatorian of his class, with distinctions in Academics and Leadership. He is an active board member for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Northwest Texas and is a member and Deacon of First Baptist Church in Decatur, where he serves in many capacities. In his role as President, he will oversee all bank operations.
Jay moves into his new role as President with enthusiasm for the new structure and New Year, “What I love most about Legend Bank is that we are a family that cares for each other, our customers and our communities. This is a place where people want to come to work because employees know they are valued, their ideas and concerns are taken seriously, there are opportunities for personal and professional growth and we can have fun while still accomplishing our mission of serving the banking needs of our markets.”
Jeff Brooks has been promoted to Chief Lending Officer from his previous role as Regional President over Whitesboro, Sherman, Bonham, Whitewright and Cooper. Jeff has been in banking for over 26 years and has been serving Legend Bank customers in Whitesboro and surrounding areas for 14 years. He graduated from Baylor University with a BBA in Accounting and completed the Texas Banking Association (TBA) Lending School. In his role as Chief Lending Officer, he will oversee commercial and mortgage lending for all 13 Legend Bank locations, as well as the bank’s special assets.
John Lee has been promoted to Chief Credit Officer and will oversee credit analysis, credit risk, consumer lending, mortgage loan processing and loan services. John received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas and began his banking career as a National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in 1990. He continued his career as a senior credit officer and commercial lender in multiple North Texas banks. He has been with Legend Bank for over 10 years overseeing the bank’s credit risk, compliance/CRA/BSA and enterprise risk management functions. John is a 2003 graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking.
Jodie Payne has been named Chief Operations Officer. She has previously served as SVP, Deposit Operations for Legend Bank for the past five years. In her new role as Chief Operations Officer, she will be responsible for deposit operations, customer care, electronic banking, core systems, information technology and fraud loss prevention. Jodie began her banking career over 40 years ago as a teller at National Bank of Texas in Fort Worth. She quickly began managing operational areas and has spent the majority of her career overseeing deposit and account operations. Outside the office, Jodie is active in her community supporting various organizations and fundraising activities. She and her son are both cancer survivors, so she is especially passionate about funding cancer research that can advance life-saving treatments to make it possible for doctors to uncover the next big breakthrough.
Jodie Payne has been named Chief Operations Officer. She has previously served as SVP, Deposit Operations for Legend Bank for the past five years. In her new role as Chief Operations Officer, she will be responsible for deposit operations, customer care, electronic banking, core systems, information technology and fraud loss prevention. Jodie began her banking career over 40 years ago as a teller at National Bank of Texas in Fort Worth. She quickly began managing operational areas and has spent the majority of her career overseeing deposit and account operations. Outside the office, Jodie is active in her community supporting various organizations and fundraising activities. She and her son are both cancer survivors, so she is especially passionate about funding cancer research that can advance life-saving treatments to make it possible for doctors to uncover the next big breakthrough.