Gateway First Bank to acquire Bartlesville's Regent Bank branch
Gateway First Bank will acquire Bartlesville's branch of Regent Bank, 422 Dewey Avenue, to provide a more comprehensive selection of deposit and banking services for both private customers and businesses in the area.
The transaction is expected to be completed in early August.
Chris Revard, Bartlesville's market president for Gateway First Bank, joined Gateway in October of 2022 to specifically oversee the bank’s growth in the Bartlesville community.
"Gateway is a strong community bank, one of the largest banks in Oklahoma, and one of the largest mortgage companies in the country," said Revard. "To have the depth and breadth of this company behind me to positively affect the local community is an honor."
Gateway has been making residential home loans for the past five years in the Bartlesville community. In 2022, Gateway opened a loan production office and began offering consumer and commercial loans in addition to mortgages.
As a native of Bartian who is now raising his family in Bartlesville, Revard is very familiar with the community and its banking needs. He has worked as a commercial banker in the Bartlesville financial community for the past six years focusing on consumer and commercial loans, mainly working with small businesses, real estate, and agriculture customers.
“Gateway is an Oklahoma company with roots that go back 23 years,” said Gateway Regional Banking President Kyle Hubbard. “I lived and worked in the Bartlesville community for over 20 years. Bartlesville is a great place, full of terrific people and I’m excited for Gateway to expand into this local community.”
Hubbard is a former banking executive and market president in Bartlesville and is still a board member of his alma mater, Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
Gateway and Regent leadership have worked closely over the years to assist customers and the community in joint projects.
Last summer, Gateway approached Regent about assuming the banking center lease and acquiring local Bartlesville customers. With a contract now signed, the two banking teams will work closely to achieve a seamless transition for customers, with Regent closing one day and Gateway opening the next.
Regent will continue to offer servicing after the transition on some of the loans made in the local community. Both banks will notify customers with further details closer to the August transition date.
“We are very proud of our Bartlesville team, and we love the people of Bartlesville. This transition just made strategic sense for both organizations, said Sean Kouplen, Chairman and CEO of Regent Bank. “I have close relationships with Gateway’s leadership, and I feel very good about the cultural fit for our employees and clients.”
The unique mural on the bank building reflects a community filled with early Oklahoma history, so it is fitting for Gateway to operate in a building that represents Oklahoma so well, officials said in a news release.
In 2019, Gateway Mortgage merged with a 100-year-old community bank named Farmer’s Exchange Bank. As an Oklahoma-based company with local ownership and management, Gateway’s leadership has long had a great appreciation for Oklahoma’s state history, the release said.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Gateway First Bank to acquire Bartlesville's Regent Bank branch
