A team of Sutherland lawyers is advising a Houston-based bank in what is reportedly the largest transaction of its kind in Texas this year.
The firm is helping Sterling Bank, a subsidiary of Houston-based Sterling Bancshares Inc., in its purchase and assumption agreement to acquire about $500 million in deposits and 19 Texas bank branches from First Bank, a Missouri state-chartered bank.
Though the deal team is led by Houston-based corporate and financial services partner Annette L. Tripp, two Atlanta lawyers also got in on the action: real estate partner Jennifer R. Van Ness and real estate associate Justin L. Earley. Van Ness could not be reached for comment.
First Bank is represented by Texas-based sole practitioner John S. Daniels.
The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, also will allow Sterling to purchase about $230 million in consumer and business loans from First Bank, according to information in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.