Who are First Financial Bankshares's competitors, and what are the alternatives?
First Financial Bankshares' 2025 10-K, filed February 25, 2026, says commercial banking in Texas is highly competitive and that, with less than 1% of the state's deposits, it is a small part of the market. Its bank regions compete with banks, thrifts, small loan companies, credit unions, mortgage companies, insurers, fintech and brokerage firms, some larger than it. It operates only in Texas, with 79 financial centers at the end of 2025, mainly in Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas. In those markets the biggest named rival is Prosperity, whose 283 locations include 45 in West Texas, among them Abilene, First Financial's home. Frost planned about 15 new Texas branches for 2026. Home BancShares runs 59 Texas branches. Glacier entered Texas through Guaranty, adding 33 locations in 26 communities. Hilltop's PlainsCapital Bank conducts substantially all its banking in Texas. First Financial's own 2025 investor presentation names thirteen Texas rivals, four of which (Stellar, Guaranty, Veritex and Comerica) have since been sold or agreed to sell. In mortgages, Hilltop's PrimeLending originates 30.2% of its volume from Texas. The 10-K also names asset-based non-bank lenders and money market funds, and fintech is the clearest non-bank rival for everyday deposits. Chime had 10.4 million active members in June 2026. First Financial's own answer is local service: its 10-K says competition is less intense in smaller markets, where it chooses to operate.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Data as of Oct 19, 2026 · First Financial Bankshares profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · computed tables recalculate from the 140 bank profiles on this site · Markdown
What does First Financial Bankshares say about its competition?
"Commercial banking in Texas is highly competitive, and because we hold less than 1% of the state's deposits, we represent a smaller segment of the market share in Texas. To succeed in this industry, we believe that we must have the capability to compete effectively in the areas of interest rates paid or charged, scope of services offered, prices charged for such services, and personalized customer service delivered at the local level. Our bank regions compete in their respective service areas against highly competitive banks, thrifts, savings and loan associations, small loan companies, credit unions, mortgage companies, insurance companies, Fintech, and brokerage firms, all of which are engaged in providing financial products and services and some of which are larger than us in terms of capital, resources and personnel."[1]
From the risk factors of the same 10-K: "We compete with many larger financial institutions which have substantially greater financial resources than we have. Competition among financial institutions in Texas is intense. We compete with other bank holding companies, state and national commercial banks, savings and loan associations, consumer financial companies, credit unions, securities brokers, insurance companies, mortgage banking companies, money market mutual funds, asset-based non-bank lenders and other non-bank financial institutions. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources, larger lending limits, larger branch networks, enhanced technology and less regulatory oversight than we do, and are able to offer a broader range of products and services than we can."[1]
On where it chooses to compete: "In many instances, banking competition is less intense in smaller markets, making it easier for us to operate rationally and attract and retain high-caliber employees who prefer not only our community-bank concept but the high quality of life in smaller cities." (2025 Form 10-K, filed February 25, 2026.)[1]
Who competes with First Financial Bankshares in each of its businesses?
| Business line | Competitor | Type | Why it competes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home region: Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas | Prosperity Bancshares | Bank | Prosperity's 2025 10-K lists 283 banking locations, including 45 in West Texas covering Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Abilene, Amarillo and Wichita Falls and 15 in Bryan/College Station, both First Financial markets; its $2 billion Stellar merger would create the second-biggest Texas-headquartered bank.[2][9][1] |
| Home region: Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas | Cullen/Frost Bankers | Bank | Frost planned about 15 new Texas branches and 150 hires for 2026, targeting customers of rivals disrupted by mergers, as First Financial opens its first full-service Austin-area branch.[3][10] |
| Home region: Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas | Home BancShares (Centennial Bank) | Bank | Centennial ran 59 Texas branches among 226 after the Mountain Commerce close in April 2026, and its chairman calls Texas one of the three best states in the nation.[4][11] |
| Home region: Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas | Glacier Bancorp (Guaranty Bank & Trust) | Bank | Glacier entered Texas by buying Guaranty Bancshares, adding 33 locations across 26 Texas communities on October 1, 2025, and grew Texas loans more than 6% in the quarter of its core conversion.[5][12] |
| Home region: Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas | Hilltop Holdings (PlainsCapital Bank) | Bank | Hilltop's 10-K says PlainsCapital Bank conducts substantially all of its banking operations in Texas.[6] |
| Home region: Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas | Simmons Bank | Bank | Simmons conducts operations from about 222 financial centers in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, and its CEO has argued that technology investment favors banks with scale.[13][14] |
| Commercial lending | Texas Capital | Bank | A Dallas commercial bank that says its cloud-native technology infrastructure lets it onboard clients as fast as any firm in the nation; First Financial's 10-K says larger competitors have greater lending limits and enhanced technology.[15][1] |
| Commercial lending | Asset-based non-bank lenders | Non-bank lender | Named in First Financial's 10-K among the competitors that may have larger lending limits and less regulatory oversight.[1] |
| Commercial lending | Small loan companies and consumer finance companies | Non-bank lender | First Financial's 10-K names small loan companies and consumer financial companies among the competitors its bank regions meet.[1] |
| Mortgage lending | PrimeLending (Hilltop) | Bank | Hilltop's mortgage arm operates from over 170 locations in 46 states and originated 30.2% of its 2025 dollar volume from Texas locations.[6] |
| Mortgage lending | Mortgage banking companies | Non-bank lender | First Financial's 10-K names mortgage companies and mortgage banking companies among its competitors.[1] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | Credit unions | Credit union | Named in First Financial's 10-K among the competitors its bank regions face in their service areas.[1] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | Chime | Fintech | First Financial's 10-K lists fintech among its competitors; Chime had 10.4 million active members at June 30, 2026 and its 10-K claims a cost advantage over traditional banks from avoiding branches.[1][8][16] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | JPMorgan Chase | Bank | One of the larger competitors with 'larger branch networks' and 'enhanced technology' that First Financial's 10-K describes; Chase reported 5,083 branches and 74.6 million active digital customers in 2025.[1][17] |
| Retail deposits and everyday banking | Money market mutual funds | Broker or asset manager | Named in First Financial's 10-K among its competitors for deposits and other banking customers.[1] |
| Trust and wealth management | Frost Investment Services and Frost wealth | Bank | Frost's investment adviser, Frost Investment Services, disclosed in March 2026 that it makes limited use of AI tools for internal research and administration, not for investment decisions. First Financial's trust company has nine Texas locations, from Abilene to Houston.[18][1] |
| Trust and wealth management | Securities brokers | Broker or asset manager | Named in First Financial's 10-K among its competitors; First Financial itself offers brokerage only through a third-party arrangement in its Abilene and San Angelo regions.[1] |
How do the AI and digital offerings of First Financial Bankshares's competitors compare?
First Financial Bankshares first, then each competitor. Use-case counts, index scores and latest moves are computed from our profiles of each company; "No profile" means this site has no page on it yet.
| Company | AI or digital offering | On the record (our profiles) | Latest dated AI move |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Financial Bankshares (this page) | Not disclosed | Index 0.9 (#120); 1 use cases, 0 in production | First full-service Austin-area branch (Sep 29, 2026)[10] |
| Prosperity Bancshares | Real-time core system, converted February 2026[19] | Index 40 (#71); 8 use cases, 4 in production | Q2 2026 10-Q repeats the AI risk bullet (Aug 6, 2026)[20] |
| Cullen/Frost Bankers | Blend digital account opening (80% completion); LivePerson AI co-pilot in the contact center[21][22] | Index 49.3 (#58); 9 use cases, 7 in production | Blend 'Ecosystem Expander' award (Aug 27, 2026)[23] |
| Home BancShares (Centennial Bank) | Not disclosed | Index 3.5 (#108); 10 use cases, 7 in production | Q3 2026 call: Mountain Commerce conversion set for 6 November (Oct 15, 2026)[24] |
| Glacier Bancorp (Guaranty Bank & Trust) | Not disclosed | Index 2 (#117); 10 use cases, 7 in production | Glacier Bank invests in the Cari tokenised-deposit network (Sep 2, 2026)[25] |
| Hilltop Holdings (PlainsCapital Bank) | Not disclosed | Index 30.7 (#87); 9 use cases, 6 in production | HilltopSecurities survey: 50% of public finance leaders use AI daily or weekly (Oct 7, 2026)[26] |
| Simmons Bank | Not disclosed | Index 3.6 (#106); 10 use cases, 8 in production | Q3 2026 call: technology and automation 'barely scratching the surface' (Oct 16, 2026)[27] |
| Texas Capital | Ranger in-house multi-LLM platform; agents in loan operations and fraud[28] | Index 49.1 (#60); 12 use cases, 8 in production | Chief risk officer departs; chief credit officer steps in (Sep 16, 2026)[29] |
| Asset-based non-bank lenders | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Small loan companies and consumer finance companies | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| PrimeLending (Hilltop) | 15 AI 'MoBots' that re-verify account information and validate processes[30] | Index 30.7 (#87); 9 use cases, 6 in production | HilltopSecurities survey: 50% of public finance leaders use AI daily or weekly (Oct 7, 2026)[26] |
| Mortgage banking companies | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Credit unions | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Chime | AI handles roughly 70% of member-support interactions (January 2026)[31] | 8 use cases, 6 in production | Agreement to acquire Stride Bank (Sep 8, 2026)[32] |
| JPMorgan Chase | Smart Cash AI cash tool in a targeted pilot (October 2026)[33] | Index 89 (#6); 15 use cases, 8 in production | Q3 2026 call: outside AI agents stay blocked; AI spend put near $700 million (Oct 13, 2026)[34][33][35] |
| Money market mutual funds | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
| Frost Investment Services and Frost wealth | Frost mobile app and Blend digital origination[36][21][37][38] | Index 49.3 (#58); 9 use cases, 7 in production | Blend 'Ecosystem Expander' award (Aug 27, 2026)[23] |
| Securities brokers | Not disclosed | No profile | Not disclosed |
Who should look beyond First Financial Bankshares, and where?
| If you are | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Customers who want branches across all of Texas's big metros | Prosperity or Frost | First Financial's 79 financial centers are mainly in Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas, and its first full-service Austin-area branch opens in late October 2026. Prosperity reports 61 Dallas-Fort Worth and 62 Houston-area locations, and Frost is adding about 15 Texas branches in 2026.[1][10][2][3] |
| Businesses that want fast digital onboarding for commercial accounts | Texas Capital | Texas Capital built Initio, a proprietary cloud-native system for opening commercial accounts, which it says cut an estimated 40-day industry process to a few days. First Financial discloses no comparable digital onboarding system.[39][1] |
| Customers who want an AI-assisted service experience | Frost | Frost's contact-center representatives use a LivePerson AI co-pilot, and its digital account opening on Blend reached 80% completion in 2026. First Financial describes no customer-facing AI.[22][21][1] |
| Customers who want a branchless, app-only account | Chime | First Financial competes on personalized service delivered locally. Chime avoids branches, had 10.4 million active members at June 30, 2026, and runs AI on roughly 70% of member-support interactions.[1][8][31] |
| Clients who want brokerage under the bank's own roof | A bank with an in-house broker-dealer, such as Hilltop | First Financial provides securities brokerage only through an arrangement with an unrelated third party in its Abilene and San Angelo regions. Hilltop runs its own broker-dealers, Hilltop Securities and Momentum Independent Network.[1][6] |
Which banks does First Financial itself position against?
First Financial's Q1 2025 investor presentation lists thirteen Texas banks and their key markets under 'FFIN's Unique Positioning in Texas'. Four of them have since been acquired, which is the clearest change in its competitive field.
| Bank named by First Financial | Key markets (its presentation) | Since then | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frost | San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, DFW, Rio Grande, West Texas | About 15 new Texas branches planned for 2026 | January 2026[7][3] |
| Prosperity | Houston, DFW, Austin, West Texas, South Central Texas, Oklahoma | Agreed a $2 billion merger with Stellar, another bank on the list | January 2026[7][9] |
| Stellar | Houston, Beaumont, Dallas | Being acquired by Prosperity; systems conversion planned for March 2027 | July 2026[7][9][19] |
| Guaranty | Dallas, East Texas, Bryan | Acquired by Glacier, closing October 1, 2025 | October 2025[7][5] |
| Veritex | Dallas, Houston, Austin | Acquired by Huntington, closing in October 2025 | October 2025[7][40] |
| Comerica | DFW, Austin, Houston, California, Michigan, Florida, Mexico | Acquired by Fifth Third, closing February 1, 2026 | February 2026[7][41] |
| Texas Capital | DFW, Austin, San Antonio, Houston | Ranger AI platform used by about 80% of staff (April 2026) | April 2026[7][28] |
| Hilltop Holdings | DFW, Lubbock, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Corpus Christi | Banking substantially all in Texas through PlainsCapital Bank | February 2026[7][6] |
| International Bancshares, Origin, Southside, Triumph, South Plains Financial | Rio Grande and Houston; Dallas and Louisiana; East Texas and Fort Worth; Dallas; Lubbock, Dallas, Houston and West Texas | Not profiled on this site | May 2025[7] |
How does First Financial's Texas network compare with its rivals'?
Branch or location counts as each bank reports them, with the date.
| Bank | Texas footprint on the record | Overlap with First Financial | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Financial Bankshares | 79 financial centers, mainly Central, North Central, Southeast and West Texas; ten in Abilene; trust company in nine Texas cities | - | December 31, 2025[1] |
| Prosperity | 283 locations in Texas and Oklahoma: 62 Houston, 61 Dallas-Fort Worth, 45 West Texas (incl. Abilene), 31 Central Texas, 15 Bryan/College Station | West Texas, Bryan/College Station, Central Texas | December 31, 2025[2] |
| Home BancShares | 59 Texas branches of 226 | Texas | April 1, 2026[4] |
| Glacier | 33 locations in 26 Texas communities from Guaranty | Texas | October 1, 2025[5] |
| Frost | About 15 new Texas branches planned for 2026 | Texas | January 2026[3] |
Who are First Financial Bankshares' biggest competitors?
In Texas banking, Prosperity (45 West Texas locations including Abilene), Frost, Home BancShares' Centennial Bank, Glacier's Guaranty division and Hilltop's PlainsCapital Bank. First Financial's 10-K also names credit unions, small loan companies, mortgage companies, insurers, fintech, brokers, money market funds and asset-based non-bank lenders.[2][3][4][5][6][1]
Which banks does First Financial list as its Texas competitors?
Its Q1 2025 investor presentation lists Stellar, Comerica, Frost, Guaranty, International Bancshares, Origin, Prosperity, Southside, Texas Capital, Triumph, Veritex, South Plains Financial and Hilltop, with their key markets. Since then Guaranty went to Glacier, Veritex to Huntington and Comerica to Fifth Third, and Stellar agreed to merge with Prosperity.[7][5][40][41][9]
Is Prosperity Bank a competitor of First Financial in Abilene?
Yes. Prosperity's 2025 10-K lists 45 locations in West Texas, including Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Abilene, Amarillo and Wichita Falls, and 15 in Bryan/College Station, both First Financial markets. Prosperity had 283 locations in all and agreed a $2 billion merger with Stellar in January 2026.[2][9]
How big is First Financial's share of Texas deposits?
Small. Its 2025 10-K says it holds less than 1% of the state's deposits and represents a smaller segment of the Texas market. It had $15.31 billion of total assets at June 30, 2026 and 79 financial centers at the end of 2025, and says competition is less intense in the smaller markets it favors.[1][42]
Does First Financial compete with fintechs?
Its 10-K names 'Fintech' among the competitors its bank regions face, alongside asset-based non-bank lenders and money market funds. Chime, a branchless provider, had 10.4 million active members in June 2026 and says AI handles roughly 70% of its member-support interactions.[1][8][31]
Who competes with First Financial in Austin?
First Financial announced its first full-service Austin-area branch, in Bee Cave, in September 2026, and its CEO called it an important step in its expansion across Texas in the October 2026 earnings release. Its 2025 presentation lists Frost, Prosperity, Texas Capital, Veritex, Comerica and Hilltop with Austin among their key markets. Prosperity counts 31 Central Texas locations including Austin and San Antonio, and Frost is adding about 15 Texas branches in 2026.[10][43][7][2][3]
Who competes with First Financial in trust and wealth management?
Texas banks with wealth arms such as Frost, plus brokers and money managers. First Financial's trust company has nine Texas locations and has provided trust services since 1927; it offers brokerage only through a third-party arrangement in its Abilene and San Angelo regions.[18][1]
- First Financial Bankshares, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Prosperity Bancshares Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Frost Bank sticks to organic growth as Texas M&A heats up
- Home BancShares, Inc. Announces Completion of the Acquisition of Mountain Commerce Bancorp, Inc.
- Glacier Bancorp Completes Acquisition of Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. in Mount Pleasant, Texas
- Hilltop Holdings Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- First Financial Bankshares Investor Presentation, 1st Quarter 2025 (FFIN's Unique Positioning in Texas)
- Chime Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- Prosperity to acquire rival Houston bank in $2 billion deal
- FIRST FINANCIAL BANK TO OPEN FIRST FULL-SERVICE BRANCH IN AUSTIN AREA WITH NEW BEE CAVE BRANCH
- Home ends dry spell with $150M deal for Tennessee bank
- Glacier Bancorp (GBCI) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
- Simmons First National Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- Bank leaders say North Texas remains a magnet for capital and talent
- A Look Ahead with Rob C. Holmes — 2026
- Chime Financial, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
- JPMorgan Chase & Co. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025
- Form ADV Part 2A - Frost Investment Services, LLC firm brochure
- Prosperity Bancshares (PB) Q2 2026 Earnings Call
- Prosperity Bancshares Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026
- Frost Bank Achieves 60% Increase in Digital Account Openings With Blend
- Inside look: Frost Bank's AI and payments strategy
- Blend Honors Seven Customers With Best in Banking Awards at Forum 2026
- Home BancShares (HOMB) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Cari Raises Over $30 Million in First Tranche of Initial Funding Round, Backed Entirely by Banks
- Public Finance Leaders Embrace Innovation While Capacity Constraints Persist, 2026 HilltopSecurities Survey Finds
- Simmons First (SFNC) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
- Texas Capital (TCBI) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
- Form 8-K: departure of Chief Risk Officer (Item 5.02)
- 2024 Tech Trendsetter: Kimberly Hartsough
- How Chime Is Using AI to Rewire Financial Services
- Chime Announces Agreement to Acquire Stride Bank
- JPMorgan CEO Dimon warns customers of 'liability transfer' with AI
- JPMorgan Chase blocks outside AI agents like Muse, Instinct from directly accessing accounts
- JPMorgan warns of risks to consumers who rely on AI agents
- Frost Bank exec: AI to usher in simpler mobile banking era
- Early Production Results for Blend's Autopilot Show What Agentic AI Means For Lending
- Cullen/Frost Q2 2026 investor presentation (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1)
- Streamlining commercial banking: Nancy McDonnell
- On heels of two big deals, Huntington Bank sees Texas as 'springboard'
- Fifth Third Completes Comerica Technology and Brand Conversion
- FIRST FINANCIAL BANKSHARES ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2026 EARNINGS
- First Financial Bankshares Announces Third Quarter 2026 Earnings
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