Vision, Mission, core values, Corporate motto and our history

Vision Statement Continue the path laid by our founders whose passion and drive was to be the Premier Bank in Southwest Texas and beyond.

Mission Statement To provide banking solutions, services and products to ensure long term relationships. To provide the highest quality customer service - delivered with southern hospitality and a Texas Spirit.

The Core 5 B's Be Friendly Be Professional Be Proactive Be Knowledgeable Be Accountable

Corporate Motto THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Our History and Legacy Origins On Monday July 1, 1907, First State Bank of Uvalde opened its doors for business. Except for a government ordered "bank holiday" during the Great Depression, the bank has never failed to open for business at the appointed hour ever since. The first officers of the fledgling bank were A. R. Bowman, President; I. L. Martin, Vice President and D. W. Barnhill, Cashier. The capital stock for Uvalde's newest financial institution in 1907 was valued at $30,000. The bank occupied several temporary buildings in the following years including the corner of North Getty and West Nopal Streets.

1907 – Our first location was in Barnhill’s Drug Store, downtown Uvalde.

1920-30s – second location, corner of West Nopal St. & North Getty St.

In 1927, Garner's son Tully became president of the bank and remained in that office until 1934, when cashier J. H. Ashby succeeded him.              

Change in Control

On October 30, 1960, bank president Ashby announced that Dolph Briscoe, Jr. bought a controlling interest in the bank. The assets of the bank in those days were less than nine million dollars. Briscoe, who earlier had served eight years in the State Legislature, would be elected as Governor of Texas and serve from 1973-1979.
On July 16, 1961, the assets of First State Bank reached the $10 million mark for the first time in the bank's history.

1960s – fourth location, corner of North Piper Lane & West Nopal St.

On June 1, 1970, Lewis E. Bracy, Jr. was named president of First State Bank. In subsequent years he was promoted to Chairman and CEO. With a career that spanned a total of 39 years of service, he set the record as the longest serving chief executive officer in the history of the bank.

On October 24, 1970, First State Bank held an "Open House and Fiesta" to formally dedicate its new and permanent home, the building it occupies today. Bank Senior Chairman Briscoe wrote in his public message for the event what has become a guiding philosophy of the bank: "We want to carry on our tradition of service to a growing community and area. We will strive to always hold high the banner of progress that has been our trademark from the very first day in 1907, when the First State Bank opened its doors."

In 1977, the Bank completed a major addition to the west side of the existing building. An almost mirror version of the East Lobby was created as well as a full basement. The new addition contained the Bank President’s office and the Commercial Loan Department, while the basement housed the Operations and Data Processing Departments.

1970 – Present, our fifth and headquarters location, 200 E. Nopal St.

In 1985 First State Bank assisted Uvalde Memorial Hospital in providing financing for the first Tomographic Scanner, or “Cat Scan” in our area. This state-of-the-art piece of equipment allowed the Hospital to perform these types of scans locally, saving people in the area from driving many miles for this service and helping maintain Uvalde’s deserved reputation as a regional medical center.

In the last half of the 1980s, the Bank, as well as the entire State, experienced financial turbulence as the Texas Real Estate Crisis began to be felt and banks statewide began to stumble and fall. The conservative banking philosophy of First State Bank began to be recognized by worried consumers and the deposits of the Bank began to grow rapidly. The Bank’s tag line of Strong, Sound and Secure was introduced and it resonated with existing customers as well.

Branch Locations and More Growth

 In 1991, First State Bank opened its first three branch bank locations in Camp Wood, Sabinal and Utopia. The Bank never operated in more than one location. Two years later, in May of 1993, the Bank completed a major renovation of the ATM facilities at the Bank’s Main location in downtown to create Uvalde’s first Drive -Up ATM and Drive Up Night Deposit facilities. Former First Lady of Texas Janey Briscoe attended to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. ATMs where added to the Bank’s three Branch Bank locations in 1996.

In 1998 First State Bank became the first financial institution to open a second location in Uvalde, when the Bank purchased and remodeled the former Central Power and Light building at 2100 East Main Street as its fourth branch location. The Branch opened with three drive up tellers and five inside teller stations, and ATM and night depository vault.

In 1999, the Bank joined other businesses in planning for the potential consequences of the “Y2K” (Year 2,000) computer disaster. In spite of great uncertainty surrounding the internal calendars of computers causing them to crash worldwide, following the arrival of January 1, 2000, Bank President Lewis Bracy reassured our customers we would continue to provide “…the very best banking services through Year 2000 and beyond.” As it turned out, Y2K was a non-event and most computers simply reset themselves.

Two major events were on the calendar in 2002, the grand opening of a new building for the Utopia Branch, with Governor Briscoe and his daughter Janey Briscoe Marmion attending the ribbon cutting, and the introduction of FSB Online, which for the first time gave customers computer access to their accounts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In the summer of 2004, the Concan Branch became the Bank’s fifth branch location. The building was constructed to also house the U.S. Post Office for Concan. The purpose of the branch was to serve customers in Concan, Reagan Wells, Rio Frio and Leakey. In 2005, First State Bank was given the opportunity to purchase the former Union State Bank in Carrizo Springs creating its sixth branch, serving the communities of Carrizo Springs, Asherton, Big Wells and other parts of Dimmit County. The following year, on December 21, 2006, the Bank cut the ribbon on its seventh branch, the Frio Canyon Branch at Leakey. Previously, the owners of the Bank of Frio Canyon approached First State Bank with an offer to sale. Governor Briscoe, his granddaughter Kate Marmion and her mother Janey Briscoe Marmion cut the ribbon for the opening, which coincided with Christmas Open House festivities.

100 Years looking forward

In July 2007, First State Bank of Uvalde observed its 100th Anniversary. In their joint letter to the public Bank Chairman former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe and Bank President Lewis Bracy noted the humble beginnings of the Bank, which started with total assets of less than $60,000. In the intervening years, the small community bank slowly grew despite the events of the times, including two world wars, and three major economic disasters including “The Great Depression.” In its first 100 years the Bank’s assets grew to $400 million, prompting Governor Briscoe to declare “The best is yet to come.”, which by the way has become our corporate motto.

On June 27, 2010 Bank Senior Chairman and majority stockholder Dolph Briscoe passed away, following a 51-year association with First State Bank. Then Chairman Dickie G. Geries stated in a letter to the Bank’s Stockholders “Any attempt to measure the impact Governor Briscoe had upon the success of First State Bank and its continued growth over the past fifty years would fall short. Suffice it to say, the governor’s leadership built the Bank and we today are all beneficiaries of his efforts.” Ironically, in the prior year, Lewis E. Bracy, the Governor’s friend and the Bank’s Chairman and CEO passed suddenly while still serving in his capacity at the Bank.

In 2012 following the passing of Governor Briscoe and after 105 years of steady increases, the total assets of the Bank reached the $1 Billion dollar mark.

In 2014, the East Main Street Branch in Uvalde underwent major renovations to its roof system, façade and ATM. When completed it could no longer be recognized as the former Central Power and Light office building but as a full-service bank Branch.

In late 2017 Bank Chairman and CEO Dickie G. Geries announced his retirement. In his letter to the Bank’s stockholders, Chairman Geries said “…I can’t emphasize enough how honored I have been to work at First State Bank of Uvalde for almost 36 years.”

In November 2017 the board nominated and appointed Mr. Chip Briscoe as Chairman of the Board. The board also hired and named Chad D. Stary President and CEO of the Bank. In his first comments at the annual stockholders meeting, he said “I am forever grateful to have this opportunity and hope each of you will know what an amazing financial institution First State Bank of Uvalde is.”

Technology and Innovation 

In 2018 the Bank has ushered in a whole slate of new banking products and services, including major advancements in electronic banking and new products. Efforts were made in overall Bank branding as well as adding new departments and streamlining operations. Additional loan offerings were made with a Small Dollar Loan Program to meet the borrowing needs of consumers, formalizing a mortgage department with secondary market home mortgages, and offering SBA loan programs.

In 2019, First State Bank observed the 50th Anniversary of operations in our iconic headquarters building. During the celebration, President Chad D. Stary noted our exceptional bank building, which has become a Uvalde landmark, recognized statewide. He gave credit to Governor and Mrs. Briscoe for their vision and generosity in creating this amazing facility. Also, during the event, President Stary was presented with a commemorative proclamation by Chris Furlow, executive director of the Texas Bankers Association.

In 2020 the bank adopted the FSBU corporate Mission, Vision and Core Values which are the foundation of the corporate culture. Bank management faced the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, proactively facing and overcoming issues that we could and could not control. FSBU supported our customers with the SBA PPP loan program and generated $22 million in loans to small businesses. Bank capital expended in recent years on online technology and products showed itself more than value to our customers and bank during these times.

In 2021 and 2022

A significant event happened on December 28, 2021, when FSBU purchased the 2065 East Main branch bank building from IBC bank. Within 1 ½ days internal task force and vendors relocated the existing FSBU East Main Branch including equipment, communications, bank operations, security systems and staff to a fully operational FSBU branch. This new bank facility will ensure better service and great efficiency for our customers going forward.

FSBU Management engaged the assistance of a professional PhD leadership and bank training coach. This initiative was strategic to better train and enhance leadership and management skills both individually and collectively and to ensure the success of FSBU corporate culture.

A new drive-up teller system was specially engineered and installed at the headquarters. The new design allowed staff to be located inside the main bank to provide safety and security. The change also enables quicker and faster service for our drive-up customers as tellers can work multiple lanes.

Security was a priority during this time as security experts were consulted and numerous security enhancements were initiated to safeguard our staff, customers, and facilities.

In 2021 the bank reached over $2 billion in assets.

In 2024

Jan 2024 - Disaster recovery sites were further strengthened with the addition of a commercial generators added for back-up power.

June 3, 2024 – The Texas Bankers Foundation, the charitable arm of the Texas Bankers Association, has proudly announced First State Bank of Uvalde as one of the esteemed recipients of the prestigious 2023 Cornerstone Award.

This esteemed recognition honors banks and bankers who exemplify unwavering dedication to serving as cornerstones within their communities.

Chris Furlow, President and CEO of the Texas Bankers Association, remarked, "These awards celebrate the banks and bankers who have made a commitment to be cornerstones in their communities. Those recognized this year have had a significant impact on their communities, and we are honored to congratulate them on their efforts."
First State Bank of Uvalde, renowned for its steadfast commitment to community enrichment and service excellence, stands out as a beacon of integrity and innovation in the banking sector. This esteemed accolade underscores the bank's continuous efforts to foster economic growth, support local initiatives, and positively impact the lives of individuals and families in Uvalde and beyond.

"We are deeply honored to receive the 2023 Cornerstone Award from the Texas Bankers Foundation," stated Chad D. Stary, President and CEO of First State Bank of Uvalde. "This recognition is a testament to our dedication to serving as a trusted partner and community leader. We remain committed to upholding our core values and making a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve."

The Cornerstone Award serves as a testament to First State Bank of Uvalde's exemplary contributions to community development, financial literacy, and philanthropic endeavors. Through collaborative partnerships and innovative initiatives, the bank continues to empower individuals, businesses, and organizations to thrive and prosper.

Cabralez named Texas Bankers Association Emerging Leader

June 3, 2024. Brandi Cabralez, Vice President and Trust Operations Manager at First State Bank of Uvalde, has been recognized as one of ten emerging leaders in the banking industry by the Texas Bankers Foundation. Launched in 2019, this esteemed award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the banking sector and embody the core values of Texas community banking.

Cabralez's journey in the banking industry began as a loan clerk and teller, spanning across various roles in three different banks before finding her home at First State Bank of Uvalde. In her current role, she has spearheaded the transformation of the Trust department, overseeing the implementation of cutting-edge systems and new technologies. Additionally, Cabralez played a pivotal role in orchestrating the bank's inaugural virtual shareholders' meeting, showcasing her innovative approach to enhancing customer experiences.

Reflecting on her career trajectory, Cabralez expressed her passion for the banking industry, stating, "It's always been a dream of mine to work in banking, and I've had the opportunity to grow and develop my skills in different departments."
In nominating Cabralez for this esteemed recognition, Chad D. Stary, President, and CEO of First State Bank of Uvalde, commended her exemplary leadership and commitment to excellence. Stary emphasized Cabralez's proactive approach to managing the Trust department operations, her unwavering dedication to compliance, and her relentless pursuit of operational enhancements to elevate customer satisfaction.

"Brandi is a valued employee and leader at First State Bank. She takes initiative and self-manages the Trust department operations along with her staff. Brandi's commitment to compliance is evident as the department is fully compliant with all regulations and standards. She is known for taking initiative, being proactive, always seeking ways to improve operations and enhance customer satisfaction," stated Chad D. Stary.
As Brandi Cabralez receives this prestigious accolade, First State Bank of Uvalde reaffirms its commitment to nurturing talent, fostering innovation, and delivering unparalleled banking services to the community.

First State Bank of Uvalde President and CEO, Chad D. Stary, Honored with Texas Bankers Association's "Chairman of the Board" Award

June 3, 2024 - First State Bank of Uvalde proudly announces that its President and CEO, Chad D. Stary, has been recognized with the prestigious "Chairman of the Board" Award by the Texas Bankers Association (TBA) at its May annual convention. This distinguished award is bestowed to those who have gone above and beyond in their service to benefit the Texas Bankers Association, the banking industry and in addition to exceptional service to their communities. The Texas Bankers Association represents 375 banks, 2,500 branches and 218,000 bank employees across the Lone Star State.

Throughout his tenure at First State Bank of Uvalde, the bank has promoted core values, personnel training, bank performance, innovations, promoted financial literacy and enhanced customer experiences. First State Bank of Uvalde continues to expand its reach and service offerings to residents and businesses of Uvalde and beyond. "I am most humbled and deeply honored to receive the 'Chairman of the Board' Award from the Texas Bankers Association. This is truly a recognition and testament of the hard work, commitment and dedication of the entire staff and board of directors at First State Bank of Uvalde. I am extremely grateful to be a part of this legacy institution. First State Bank of Uvalde is well known in Texas Banking and provides unwavering support and commitment to the banking industry and to the communities we serve”. said Stary.

As First State Bank of Uvalde celebrates Chad D. Stary's well-deserved recognition, it reaffirms the institution’s commitment to upholding the bank’s purpose, core values, and bringing real value to the individuals, businesses, and communities we serve to achieve their financial goals and successes.

First State Bank of Uvalde Receives Prestigious Texas Bankers Association LIFE Award

June 3, 2024 - First State Bank of Uvalde proudly announces its receipt of the esteemed Texas Bankers Association LIFE (Leaders in Financial Education) Award, recognizing its exceptional commitment to financial literacy and community education initiatives.

The Texas Bankers Association (TBA) LIFE Award is a testament to the bank's unwavering dedication to empowering individuals and businesses with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed financial decisions and protect your personal and financial information through cybersecurity and fraud protection education. First State Bank of Uvalde's innovative programs and outreach efforts have significantly impacted the lives of residents throughout Uvalde and beyond.

"We are honored to receive the Texas Bankers Association LIFE Award," said Chad D. Stary, President and CEO of First State Bank of Uvalde. "At First State Bank of Uvalde, we believe that financial education is essential for building strong and resilient communities. This award is a testament to our ongoing commitment to providing valuable resources and educational opportunities to our customers and neighbors."

Through a variety of initiatives such as workshops, seminars, and partnerships with local schools and community organizations, First State Bank of Uvalde has demonstrated its commitment to promoting financial literacy at every stage of life. Teaching children the basics of savings to helping adults navigate complex financial decisions, the bank's comprehensive programs have made a tangible difference in the lives of countless individuals and families. In addition, First State Bank is a leader in educating our communities on the importance of cybersecurity. Our goal is to ensure the public is up to date on the latest in protecting personal, financial information, understanding scams, and the negative impact they create.

The Texas Bankers Association LIFE Award underscores First State Bank of Uvalde's status as a leader in the banking industry and its ongoing efforts to make a positive impact in the communities it serves. As the bank continues to prioritize financial education and community development, it remains dedicated to empowering individuals and fostering long-term financial success for all.