State National Bank in Fort Worth is asking a court to prohibit a rival from soliciting its customers in western Texas.
The $1.9 billion-asset bank filed a suit last month against Amarillo National Bank, claiming that former employees the $2.3 billion-asset Amarillo National hired unlawfully targeted State National customers.
State National won a temporary restraining order late last month, but it expires today, and the bank's lawyers are asking the Ector County District Court today to extend it.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria bought State National in February. Since then roughly two dozen of its employees have left to form a Lubbock start-up partially funded by Amarillo National.
State National argued in court documents that its former employees stole customer information and contacted them about switching banks. State National claims that it has lost about $88 million of loans, or about 8% of its loan portfolio, to Amarillo National.
Wade Porter, an executive vice president at Amarillo National, said Tuesday that the lawsuit "is just an attempt to slow us down."
"It was a flood of customers leaving" State National, he said.
"We didn't solicit any customers. It was just all we could do to handle them as they lined up to come our way."
State National declined to comment.
