ABILENE, Texas, Jan. 28, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Bankshares, Inc. (Nasdaq:FFIN) has been selected as the top-performing publicly traded bank in the nation by Bank Director Magazine. The magazine’s annual survey rates all publicly traded banks with assets of $3 billion or more on the basis of profitability, capital adequacy and asset quality.
“Being selected the No. 1 bank in the nation by Bank Director Magazine is like winning an Academy Award,” said F. Scott Dueser, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are very pleased to be named as a top bank in the nation. This accomplishment certainly is due to the direction of our Board, the dedication of our employees and the loyalty of our customers who have kept us strong for 120 years. We accept this honor with great humility, because we know that every day presents a new challenge in the banking industry. We do not think we have arrived because we understand that we have much work to do to meet the challenges of today, to take advantage of the potential to grow and to take the Company to the next level.”
For its list of the top 150 best-performing publicly traded banks, Bank Director Magazine looked at profitability measures including return on average assets and return on average equity; capital adequacy metrics including the Tier 1 capital ratio and the leverage capital ratio; and asset quality measures including the ratio of nonperforming assets to total loans and other real estate owned, and the percentage of loan loss reserves to total loans.
The story from Bank Director Magazine is available at http://www.bankdirector.com/issues/articles.pl?article_id=12081.
Headquartered in Abilene, Texas, First Financial Bankshares is a financial holding company that operates ten separately chartered banks with 48 locations in Texas. The bank subsidiaries are First Financial Bank, N.A., Abilene, Albany, Clyde and Moran; First Financial Bank, N.A., Eastland, Ranger and Rising Star; First Financial Bank, N.A., Cleburne, Burleson, Alvarado and Midlothian; First Financial Bank, Hereford; First Financial Bank, N.A., Mineral Wells; First Financial Bank, N.A., San Angelo; First Financial Bank, N.A., Southlake, Bridgeport, Boyd, Decatur, Keller and Trophy Club; First Financial Bank, N.A., Stephenville, Granbury, Glen Rose and Acton; First Financial Bank, N.A., Sweetwater, Roby, Trent and Merkel; and First Financial Bank, N.A., Weatherford, Willow Park, Aledo and Brock. The Company also operates First Financial Trust & Asset Management Company, N.A., with six locations and First Technology Services, Inc., a technology operating company.
The Company is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol FFIN. For more information about First Financial Bankshares, please visit our Web site at http://www.ffin.com.
Certain statements contained herein may be considered “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the belief of the Company’s management, as well as assumptions made beyond information currently available to the Company’s management, and may be, but not necessarily are, identified by such words as “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “target,” “forecast” and “goal.” Because such “forward-looking statements” are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include competition from other financial institutions and financial holding companies; the effects of and changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; changes in the demand for loans; fluctuations in value of collateral and loan reserves; inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; and acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses, and similar variables. Other key risks are described in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which may be obtained under “Investor Relations-Documents/Filings” on the Company’s Web site or by writing or calling the Company at 325.627.7155. Except as otherwise stated in this news announcement, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements because of new information, future events or otherwise.