PointBank Redefines Longevity in Community Banking

140 Years and Counting

Not many community banks are around long enough to celebrate 140 years in business. So when PointBank President Ray David, Jr., his father, Raymond (CEO), and his brother Jonathan (COO) threw a party to celebrate, they knew it couldn’t be a one-and-done thing.

Sure, there had to be a massive celebration in Pilot Point. After all, that’s where Pilot Point National Bank (later renamed PointBank) was founded in 1884, pre-dating the Texas Banking System, and later chartered as a national bank on July 13, 1892. But they also had to pull out all the stops in Aubrey, Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Corinth, Argyle, and Little Elm — basically, everywhere they have a branch location. 

“We must have had 135 people in the lobby at Pilot Point, and not all of them were customers. Some were people from the community curious to see what PointBank was all about,” Raymond said with a laugh. He became the bank’s President in 1981 before handing the reins to Ray in 2004. “There were quite a few customers who didn’t come to just one party — one gentleman made it to at
east seven.”

Ray agreed and added, “We have great pride in earning Best of Denton County 14 years in a row, and I believe the reason behind our employee surveys being so complimentary is because they work with the best coworkers and the best customers.” 

In today’s world, it seems there is at least one financial institution on every street corner. Sometimes, competing banks of all sizes sit in the same parking lot. But PointBank has been around longer than most and is redefining longevity. In celebrating this recent milestone, the David family reinforced the fact that PointBank is officially the oldest community bank in North Texas. 

And they take that honor very seriously. What does community banking mean, exactly? 

For starters, it means treating every customer how they want to be treated, being present in your community, and having an overall commitment toward service and technology that remains steadfast regardless of how much you grow. PointBank has undoubtedly mastered that mindset. When Raymond became President in 1981, they were an $18 million bank. Today, they have over $1 billion in assets and still put the customer at the center of every decision and every relationship. Sitting in one of the nine PointBank branches certainly feels a little different from the stodgy, impersonal styles of too-big-to-fail banks — from the personalized photos on the walls to popcorn machines and piggy bank savings accounts for the kids. 

The tellers and personal bankers take the time to know you by name. And, of course, you can still shake the bank president’s hand.

“People talk a lot about business plans. Well, ours has always been to be here for our customers,” Raymond said. “How we do that has changed quite a bit over the past 43 years, but we’ve always gone above and beyond what everyone else does.”

Jonathan agreed, “We’ve taken a different approach with our customers. We try to turn answers around quicker, make closings happen quicker, and always provide good service. Everyone has a great respect for one another. We’ve grown as a family and an organization, and the organization has done better as we’ve grown closer.”

But to be an actual community bank, you must be the economic source of growth in your marketplace. Most of PointBank’s employees, shareholders, owners, executives, and everyone else you’ve come to know and trust are from Texas and live in Denton County. The Call Center, Operations, and Lending Department are also located here. That means decisions — from loan approvals and daily branch matters to integrating new technology — are being made faster and by real people who know their personal and business customers inside and out. 

“Many banks claim to be community banks and have local branches, but their charter and operations are in another county like Grapevine or Wichita Falls, San Antonio, or New York. That means their profits and most salaries strengthen a different business economy,” Ray David said. “When we say everything we do for our customers is right here in Denton County, we mean it.”

He added, “Community banking isn’t a thing of the past that only your grandparents got to experience. It’s alive and well with us today.”

Being around for 140 years doesn’t mean you have to be stuck in the past, though. While Ray and Raymond have been focused on customers, community involvement, hosting business breakfasts, charitable endeavors, and other elements of what makes PointBank a true community bank, Jonathan said he’s been hard at work ensuring the bank is always on the leading edge of technology.

Over the past few years, PointBank has begun offering the availability
to view your credit score through its mobile app and allowing customers to apply for a personal or business loan online and Live Teller Machines. It has also increased debit card controls and two-way fraud text messages and was the first community bank in Denton County to
offer mobile deposit.

“We’re always going to be innovative and look at ways to peer into the future of banking,” Jonathan said. “I took a lot of pride in helping develop our new freedom credit cards, which are Texas-issued with lower interest rates and higher consumer protection than nationally issued credit cards, and there’s so much more coming soon on the lending side for personal and business customers. We want to thank our customers for their loyalty for all these years. They certainly have options on where to put their money and do everyday banking, but more often than not, they choose us.”

With that thought in mind, who’s to say PointBank won’t still be around in another 140 years?

“Great customers bring even more great customers, and we invite everyone to come see what we are all about at PointBank, why it’s not just banking, it’s PointBanking,” Ray said.