Based on past advertising, you might think that everyone employed by Frost Bank wears a Stetson and cowboy boots.  Recognizing that consumers tend to put their money with someone they trust and to whom they can relate, Texas’ Frost Bank is quick to remind everyone in earshot of their local roots.

According to a pitch from a few years ago, they’re “Texans first and bankers second”.  That’s a good tagline and a great summation of the Frost Bank promotional angle, but all of that “aw shucks”, down home talk is draped over an innovative member of the United States’ Top 150 Banks.

If you can’t hum “The Yellow Rose of Texas” on demand, you may not be acquainted with Frost Bank.  It’s located in the Lonestar state with headquarters in San Antonio.  It’s a venerable institution, founded in 1868 and still going strong.

In fact, it’s going very strong.  Current assets total around $13.2 billion dollars, making Frost the 74th largest bank in the USA.  Frost is obviously doing something right.  While other banks struggle in the current economy, there’s little indication that Frost is in trouble.  Now in its third century of operation, It’s showing the kind of resiliency that undoubtedly contributed to its ability to survive the bottom falling out of the Texas oil market in the 1980s.

Although Frost is known for emphasizing “roots over rates” in past advertising campaigns, that’s a marketing decision–not a necessity.  Frost has an enviable track record of embracing new technologies and methodologies while providing customers with a full slate of commercial banking products.

Deaf Link technology is a perfect example.  Frost Bank is a step ahead of the competition with regard to outreach to the hearing impaired.  According to one source:

Frost Bank has teamed with the San Antonio-based company Deaf Link to place videophone equipment in some Frost branches that will allow deaf customers and bank employees to communicate with help from a certified Deaf Link interpreter who will interpret via videophone.

That kind of accessibility can spell the difference between building relationships and losing customers.  That’s a common theme with Frost, who also managed to get ahead of the curve in the area of remote deposit captures, allowing customers to make deposits more easily and from a variety of locations.  In a Financial Services Technology article commending Frost, exec John Murrel explained why the bank aggressively pursued the development:

“The most obvious [advantage is] the reduced number of trips to the bank. Beyond that, remote capture is helping companies improve deposit accuracy, speed the settlement of check payments, enhance reporting capabilities and lower paper handling costs by eliminating deposit tickets and check copying. Plus, companies can transmit checks at any time, improving the availability of funds through extended deposit times.”

That’s the kind of attention to customer demand that’s keeping Frost Bank in the Top 150.

With a substantial asset base and strong customer outreach, Frost bank appears to be in a very strong position.  Their head honchos may claim to be “Texans first and bankers second”, but that obviously doesn’t mean they’re second-rate bankers, at all.

NOTE:  In addition to banking services, Frost has another claim to fame, the Frost Bank Tower in Austin, Texas.  The thirty-three floor structure was the first high-rise to go up anywhere in the United States after 9/11 and it’s the second largest building in Texas’ state capital.  Construction of the Tower began in late 2001 and was wrapped up by 2003.