Supporting Texans for Generations
Forty-five years following Texas' statehood, Farmers and Merchants National Bank (First Financial Bank) opened in Abilene in 1890, founded to provide critical support for a region essential to the state's rapid economic growth. We played a vital role in the early days - and continue to today - in the food, fuel and fiber industries that drive our state's economy. First Financial Bank has grown from a small regional bank to a nationally-respected, statewide industry leader with 80 locations only in Texas. We are proud of our Texas roots and will continue serving Texans with the same determination and vision our founders displayed many years ago.
Over 135 years of growth and commitment.
First Financial Bank's origins date back to 1890, when Farmers and Merchants National Bank opened for business in Abilene, Texas. At the time, Abilene was home to over 3,000 optimistic pioneers. That first year, depositors entrusted us with $33,000, which was a significant amount of money back then. Needless to say, things grew pretty quickly from there.
In 1957, responding to a more diversified economy, we changed our name to First National Bank of Abilene. And then, in 1973, the shareholders formed First Abilene Bankshares, Inc. as a multibank holding company.
While most banks struggled through the turbulence of the 1980s, we were busy expanding, adding more branch locations and introducing the concept of supermarket banking. We also had the honor of being nationally recognized as one of the safest banking organizations in the United States.
In October 1993, we changed our name to First Financial Bankshares, Inc., to better reflect the scope of our operations. This coincided with our listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market® under the trading symbol FFIN.
A decade later, the trust departments from our Abilene, Sweetwater, San Angelo, and Stephenville regions consolidated to form a new trust company – First Financial Trust & Asset Management Company.
In 2005, First National Bank of Abilene changed its name to First Financial Bank and added new locations in Clyde and Moran.
In 2010, First Financial Trust & Asset Management Company opened its sixth location in Odessa, Texas. Also in 2010, the Bank acquired First State Bank in Huntsville, Texas.
Three years later, First Financial Bank acquired Orange Savings Bank, officially making its move into the Southeast Texas market.
In 2015, First Financial established Fort Worth as an individual region due to his quick growth and uniqueness. Fort Worth is now a part of our Chisholm Trail Region and continues to be an important market for the Bank and Trust Company. Also in 2015, we acquired First Bank of Conroe, which has since grown into 14 locations around the Houston suburban area.
In 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of Commercial Bankshares, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Commercial State Bank, Kingwood, further strengthening our presence in the Greater Houston market.
Most recently, in 2020, we completed our acquisition of The Bank & Trust in the Bryan/College Station market.
We are continuously offering new, more convenient ways to bank with state-of-the-art services and technology. Even though we’ve grown quite a bit over the years, our commitment to our relationships has remained the same.
