BOK Financial Corp. in Tulsa said Tuesday that it is buying the $152 million-asset Valley Commerce Bancorp Ltd. of Phoenix for $32 million in cash.
BOK, with $14.4 billion of assets, is a multibank holding company with branches in Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas and loan production offices in Kansas and Missouri.
The purchase of the 9-year-old Valley would give BOK its first branch in Arizona (it opened a loan production office in Phoenix in August). Stan Lybarger, BOK's president and chief executive, said in a news release that the deal fits with its strategy of building up its business in high-growth markets.
The sale is expected to close in the first quarter.










