By Kevin Cole

Copyright omaha

First National Bank of Omaha announced Wednesday that it has completed its acquisition of a family-owned bank in Kansas City, giving the financial institution its first footprint in Missouri.

By signing a merger agreement with CCB Financial Corp., the parent company of Country Club Bank, FNBO has expanded its presence in the Kansas City metro area to 30 locations, including a local headquarters on One Ward Parkway, according to a statement released by the Omaha banking giant. Overall, FNBO will now operate 120 branches and nearly $35 billion in assets.

The Country Club Bank’s 20 branch locations in Kansas and Missouri will take on the First National Bank of Omaha name and branding. There are already 10 FNBO branch locations in the Kansas City metro area on the Kansas side of the state line. But the nine Country Club branches in Missouri will be the first for FNBO in that state.

FNBO now boasts banking institutions in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Illinois, Texas and Iowa.

Joe Close, a 35-year veteran of the financial industry and previous president of Country Club Bank, will serve as FNBO’s Regional Leader for the Kansas, Missouri and Texas markets. In this role, Close will lead the newly combined region and ensure a successful transition for customers, employees and communities, the statement said.

Clark Lauritzen, chairman and president of FNBO, said he has admired the way Country Club has done business for years.

“This marks a tremendous step forward for FNBO, strengthening our presence in Kansas City and building on months of hard work to expand our regional and community model for the future,” Lauritzen said in a press release.

“Country Club Bank’s deep expertise in the Kansas City commercial banking space, expertise in capital markets, and trust and strong branch network create a powerful opportunity for our combined organization to deliver even greater value for our customers and clients in Kansas City.”

First National Bank’s roots in Omaha date back six generations and 168 years, making it already one of the nation’s largest privately owned and family-owned banks. It’s also roughly 15 times larger in terms of assets than the bank it’s now acquiring.

Country Club Bank’s founding dates to 1953. It has grown from a single commercial bank to a multifaceted financial institution with $1.8 billion in deposits, $2.2 billion in assets and a trust company with $2.8 billion in assets under management.

With more than 400 employees, its business lines include personal banking, commercial banking, wealth management and trust services, capital markets, cash management and merger and acquisition services.

“Country Club Bank has a deep history of taking care of its clients, and it was paramount that any partner we considered have a similar dedication,” said Paul Thompson, the second-generation chairman and CEO of Country Club Bank. “We are confident FNBO is the right partner to maintain this legacy and take it even further into the future.”