Sunflower Bank, N.A.

We’ve been highlighting milestones in celebration of the 153rd anniversary of our first branch in New Mexico. Today, we recognize one event that changed our bank in many ways. In 2017, Strategic Growth Bancorp and Sunflower Bank completed a merger that would take the Sunflower Bank charter. To honor both the new day for the bank and the history built over the years, we became known as First National 1870 in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos, NM. This merger created a network of bank branches spanning multiple states and providing a wide range of financial services to a more diverse customer base. Read more of our history on the “Beyond 1870” section of the First National 1870 website: https://trst.in/rGcK9d

Congratulations to these outstanding Mortgage Loan Originators across our banking footprint for their exceptional performance in volume and units in April 2024! We are proud to have you as part of our mortgage lending team. Thank you for #CreatingPossibility for homeownership in our communities.

At Sunflower Bank, we recognize and support our employees for all of their accomplishments. In this month’s “Sunflower Bank Salutes” on our website, employees we're proud to highlight include a Branch Manager in Austin, TX who spoke at a local financial literary event about credit building strategies, a Mortgage Loan Originator who is experiencing major success in Spokane, WA, and we say goodbye to a Mortgage Loan Processor who had a major impact on our mortgage division for nine years. Learn about how our employees make a difference through their community involvement, customer service and industry expertise: https://trst.in/WKRBtv #CreatingPossibility

In honor of National Hospital Week, we’re pleased to share the ongoing success of our client, CommuniCare -- a primary care and multispecialty healthcare system based in San Antonio, TX. Beginning as a two-room clinic in 1972, today CommuniCare serves over 140,000 patients across multiple facilities. To keep up with demand in some of the fastest-growing zip codes in Texas, CommuniCare continues to expand its state-of-the-art infrastructure with support from Sunflower Bank’s San Antonio Commercial Banking team. Read the full story of CommuniCare’s growth strategy and how it’s transforming healthcare accessibility on our website: https://lnkd.in/eTRKhc6v #NationalHospitalWeek #CreatingPossibility

Bienvenidos means welcome! We are proud to provide ongoing support to Bienvenidos, the Volunteer Division of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, through our longtime donation of the Tourist Information booth space at the front of our First National 1870 branch on the Santa Fe Plaza. Bienvenidos offers a wonderful service to Santa Fe, NM, providing literature, maps and general assistance to the city’s thousands of annual tourists. Our team was pleased to welcome Bienvenidos back for the 2024 season at their recent ribbon-cutting event!

In 2014, Strategic Growth Bancorp, which would later merge with Sunflower Bank, completed its acquisition of Guardian Mortgage Company. Founded by a homebuilder in 1965, Guardian Mortgage quickly became a major part of the bank’s offering. By 2015, Guardian Mortgage was the mortgage provider for all Strategic Growth Bancorp banks. We celebrate these and all the other events that shaped our history on “Beyond 1870,” our the First National 1870 website section commemorating our over 150 years in business in New Mexico: https://trst.in/X8au4d

We’ve been looking back at milestones throughout our bank’s history to celebrate the 153rd anniversary of our first branch opening in New Mexico. One event that changed the trajectory of First National 1870 was the decision to become part of Strategic Growth Bancorp in 2013. While not much in our operations immediately changed as a result of this merger, becoming a part of this group would have a major impact in the years to come. Read more on “Beyond 1870,” our section of the First National 1870 website that commemorates our over 150 years in business in New Mexico: https://trst.in/NxNjeg (Photo Credit: Santa Fe New Mexican)

RealDefense, led by Gary Guseinov and Sean Whiteley, stands at the forefront of cybersecurity, ensuring safety and protection for millions of consumers and small businesses. Sunflower Bank’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications lending group is proud to provide a financing partnership alongside Corbel Capital Partners that empowers RealDefense to grow through strategic acquisitions and a robust R&D-based bundled services model. Explore RealDefense's story of entrepreneurial success on our website: https://lnkd.in/gzPpd62k

In recognition of National Wildfire Awareness Month this May, we are excited to showcase a partnership between our mortgage division, Guardian Mortgage, and Our Place Community Outreach in Spokane, WA. After the 2023 Gray Fire, Our Place received more clothing and household goods donations than they could handle. To help get these donations turned back around to the community in need, the Guardian Mortgage team stepped in to help sort and prepare the donated items. Read the full story here: https://trst.in/7NA1yq #CreatingPossibility #WildfireAwarenessMonth

On April 28, the Santa Fe Children's Museum held their annual Move for the Museum 5k fundraiser in memory of Michaelann Perea, a longtime volunteer for the museum and pillar of the Santa Fe community who tragically passed away in September '22. Since Michaelann was also an impactful member of our bank family, we honor her by serving as financial sponsors of the event in addition to providing volunteer support and encouraging employee participation. Read more about the event and Michaelann's legacy on our website: https://trst.in/plxvvG