Merger talks between the Independent Bankers Association of Texas and the Texas Bankers Association have been called off - again.
The groups issued a press release Tuesday stating they had mutually decided to end discussions. Texas Bankers' chairman, Don Grobowsky, said they "could not reach common ground on key transitional scenarios and an organizational structure."
Independent Bankers' chairman, Jim Lindsey, said, "At the end of the day, we agreed that the Texas banking industry is best served, at least for now, by allowing each organization to pursue its own policy objectives and initiatives."
This is the second time the merger talks have broken off since they were initiated last summer. In early March the board of the independent bankers group voted to end discussions, then reversed that decision at a March 30 meeting.
Rick Smith, Texas Bankers' president and chief executive, said that the discussions ended last week but that he remained optimistic they could resume someday.
"I think there will be some interest in the future," he said. "I just can't define what the future is."
However, he said that the two groups, which have worked together sporadically in the past, have committed to collaborating closely in the future and that their executive committees will meet twice a year.
The independent bankers group is the largest state community bankers association in the United States, with 565 members. The Texas Bankers Association is the nation's largest state bankers association; it has 630 members, of which 98% are community banks.
