Dennis Nixon Celebrates 50th Year in Banking
Texas Border Business –
April 17, 2015- Austin, Texas – Dennis E. Nixon, President and CEO of IBC Bank, received the Texas Bankers Foundation’s 50-Year Banker Award during a special luncheon held at the nonprofit’s 131st annual convention.
The Texas Bankers Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Texas Bankers Association, supports more than 84 percent of the banks in the state through community initiatives such as financial literacy training and graduate school scholarships.
Nixon began his banking career in Corpus Christi while attending Del Mar College. He became an Examiner in the office of the Comptroller of the Currency in South Texas in 1964 and Executive Vice President at Union National Bank in 1970. He joined what was then Bank of Commerce in Laredo in 1975.
“I wasn’t thinking of where I’d be today when I began my career,” said Nixon in accepting the award. “This is a wonderful recognition of endurance.”
When A.R. Sanchez recruited Nixon at Bank of Commerce in Laredo, it was with the goal of growing what was a $35-or-$40-million bank in a sleepy little border town into an international banking leader.
“By the time Texas banking regulations had changed to allow branch banking, we’d changed our name from Bank of Commerce to International Bank of Commerce and grown to around $150 million in assets. That put us on a 25-year growth track. Today, IBC is a $12.2 billion financial holding company with more than 200 locations in Texas and Oklahoma employing approximately 3,500 people.”
Nixon, the architect behind the growth of International Bancshares Corporation and International Bank of Commerce, is considered one of the nation’s leading banking authorities. He was instrumental in the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On NAFTA’s 15th anniversary in 2008, IBC was given the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce’s Good Neighbor award for its involvement.
The chairman’s community and business involvement have been recognized on the national and international levels. He has received the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Award, The Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International in recognition of his outstanding community service and the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award from the State of Israel for his outstanding service to humanity.
He was inducted into the Texas business Hall of Fame in 2006 and elected to the United States Chamber of Commerce board of directors in 2007. The University of Texas graduate received the International Citizen Award from the World Affairs Council in 2008. He was named Mr. South Texas by the Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association in 2010 and received the Visionary Award from the Laredo Chamber of Commerce in 2013.
Nixon is past president of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce and the Laredo Development Foundation. He is a founding member of the Association of South Texas Communities and the Alliance for Security and Trade, bipartisan organizations devoted to the betterment of South Texas. He is currently a member of the board of visitors of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He is active in the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the Boys and Girls Club of Laredo, United Way of Laredo, and Legatus as well as similar organizations dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for citizens of South Texas, Texas and Oklahoma.
Nixon’s favorite part of banking has been helping customers make their dreams come true. Changes in the banking business have changed the experience for those who may accept this award in the coming years.
“I don’t think someone coming into banking today is likely to have the same kind of career as I have had. The banker of tomorrow is becoming a government employee because the industry under Dodd-Frank is virtually controlled by the federal government.”
IBC Bank and Commerce Bank are members of International Bancshares Corporation (NASDAQ: IBOC), a $12.2 billion multi-bank financial holding company headquartered in Laredo, Texas, with 211 facilities and more than 324 ATMs serving 90 communities in Texas and Oklahoma. In 2014, IBC Bank was named one of America’s 50 Most Trustworthy Financial Companies by Forbes magazine. IBC Bank’s commitment to “Do More” reflects the bank’s dedication to the growth and success of both the customers and the communities it serves. Visit them on their YouTube channel, IBCBankWeDoMore. Member FDIC / International Bancshares Corporation. More information is available at ibc.com. TBB
