NBT Financial Bank CEO Wade Donnell Named 2026 Banker of the Year

The Tarrant County Bankers Association has named Wade Donnell, president and chief executive officer of NBT Financial Bank, its 2026 Banker of the Year. The announcement came Nov. 11, 2026, from Fort Worth, and the award luncheon is already on the calendar for Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Donnell didn't win by committee fiat. Mark Riebe, chairman of TexasBank and the 2023 Banker of the Year recipient, nominated him. TCBA's board of directors then selected Donnell by majority vote. The award has run for more than two decades and is peer-nominated, which makes the recognition itself a signal of standing among Tarrant County bankers.

What does the award actually recognize?

TCBA frames the honor around three tests. The winner must have excelled in Tarrant County banking, improved the public image of banking in the community, or motivated and encouraged fellow local bankers. Donnell's nomination leaned on the third pillar, according to the people who work closest with him.

"When Wade started bringing Fort Worth's community bank presidents together every month, he gave them a place to learn from one another," said Lacy Samples, senior vice president and compliance officer at NBT Financial Bank, who works directly with Donnell and currently serves as acting president of TCBA. "That kind of leadership is exactly what this award recognizes, and his peers have noticed."

That monthly gathering is Donnell's creation. He founded a luncheon for Fort Worth community bank presidents that now convenes at the Fort Worth Club, and it has become a standing fixture in the local banking calendar.

Who is Wade Donnell?

Donnell's résumé runs deep in Texas banking. He began his career in 1988 and joined NBT Financial Bank in 2000, giving him more than 25 years at the institution. He earned his degree at Texas Tech University, completed the Graduate School of Banking at Texas Tech, and was commissioned as a national bank examiner in 1993. He recently finished a term on the Texas Bankers Association board.

"I'm humbled and appreciative, especially because this comes from fellow bankers across Tarrant County," Donnell said. "Mark Riebe has been a friend and colleague for a long time, and his nomination means a great deal. Any credit belongs to our team at NBT Financial Bank."

What does NBT's board say?

Steve Eargle, chairman of NBT Financial Bank's board, tied the award to the bank's ownership structure and Donnell's insistence on local decision-making.

"A lot of our board members are entrepreneurs who know the importance of having a banker pick up the phone, and Wade is and has always been that kind of banker," Eargle said. "He believes the people making decisions for local businesses should know those businesses and live in the same community, and he's spent more than 25 years at NBT making sure Fort Worth keeps that kind of banking."

Where is the bank expanding?

NBT Financial Bank is in growth mode in North Texas. It opened a branch on Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth earlier in 2026, and a Grapevine location follows in December. Those additions extend a footprint that already covers:

• Northside and Camp Bowie in Fort Worth
• Hurst
• Azle
• Burleson
• Willow Park
• Grapevine, once the December opening completes

The expansion matters beyond real estate. NBT, founded in 1973 on Fort Worth's Northside, positions every lending decision as a local one, made by bankers who live and work in the communities they serve. For a 50-plus-year-old independent community bank, new branches in Camp Bowie and Grapevine are the concrete expression of that model.

What happens at the Nov. 18 luncheon?

TCBA will present the award at Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth, Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Alongside the honor, TCBA will make a charitable donation to Donnell's designated recipient, the Community Caring Center. TCBA members and guests can register at tarrantcountybankers.org/events/.

The presenter, TCBA, has its own institutional weight. Established in 1993, the nonprofit unites commercial and community bankers across North Texas around three stated pillars: leadership, education, and connection. The organization develops current and future banking leaders, delivers practical learning opportunities, and fosters collaborative engagement across banking disciplines.

Does NBT have other recent recognition?

Yes. In 2026, NBT Financial Bank was named a Best Bank winner in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's DFW Favorites and Favorite Local Bank in Local Life Magazine's Local Love awards. Pair those wins with a CEO honored by his county peers, and NBT closes 2026 with an unusual concentration of local validation for a bank of its size.

The next visible milestone is the Grapevine branch opening in December. If Donnell's expansion track record holds, that opening will be the test of whether community-bank growth and local decision-making can keep scaling together in North Texas.