From Kansas to a wider regional bank
Sunflower Bank traces its founding to Kansas in 1892. Its present-day headquarters are in Dallas, and its growth has combined locally based banking with acquisitions that brought different names and services into the franchise. The FDIC identifies the surviving national bank as Sunflower Bank, National Association, certificate 4767. [1][3][6]
A major step came in 2017 with the acquisition of First National Bank of Santa Fe and Guardian Mortgage Company. The first expanded the bank’s presence in New Mexico and Colorado, with affiliated operations in Texas; the second added a mortgage-lending business. Sunflower’s history says the First National 1870 brand remains in use in Albuquerque, Los Alamos and Santa Fe to preserve the acquired institution’s heritage. That older brand’s 1870 origin is not Sunflower’s own establishment date. [3]
Texas growth and a simpler mortgage name
The 2022 merger with Pioneer Bank expanded Sunflower’s Texas presence. The bank also added mortgage teams in the Pacific Northwest and other markets. Its own history describes this as a combination of acquisition-led expansion and growth within the existing business, rather than a single uninterrupted branch-building story. [3]
For eight years after the 2017 transaction, the mortgage business continued using the Guardian Mortgage name. In 2025, the mortgage operation moved under the Sunflower Bank name. These customer-facing brands do not represent additional separately counted insured banks. Personal and commercial banking, mortgage lending and wealth-related services now sit within a broader group led by FirstSun Capital Bancorp. [3][6]
First Foundation joins on April 1
On April 1, 2026, FirstSun Capital Bancorp completed an all-stock merger with First Foundation Inc. On the same date, First Foundation Bank merged into Sunflower Bank, which was the surviving bank. First Foundation Advisors, a separate wealth-management business, became part of the holding-company group rather than another insured-bank charter. [3][4]
The completion announcement identified Mollie Hale Carter as executive chairman of both FirstSun and Sunflower. Former First Foundation chief executive Thomas C. Shafer joined FirstSun as a director and executive vice chairman. The transaction therefore changed both the business footprint and the leadership and board structure around it. [4]
The opening deal size was not the final balance sheet
At closing, the companies cited pro forma combined assets of $20.4 billion using December 31, 2025 figures, before planned balance-sheet changes. Pro forma means a constructed combined view; it was not the actual June 2026 bank balance sheet. FirstSun’s later earnings release said the acquired business added $11.2 billion of assets, $6.0 billion of net loans and $8.8 billion of deposits after acquisition-accounting adjustments. [4][5]
During the second quarter, FirstSun sold or allowed selected acquired loans and securities to run off, then used the proceeds and available cash to reduce higher-cost deposits and borrowings. It described $3.9 billion of asset liquidation or reduction, matched by $2.5 billion of deposit reduction and $1.4 billion of borrowing reduction. This explains why a large acquisition could be followed by a materially smaller reported balance sheet than the deal’s initial combined headline. [5]
Integration had a visible earnings cost
FirstSun reported a $22.9 million consolidated net loss for the second quarter of 2026 and $57.6 million of merger-related expenses. Its company-adjusted, non-GAAP net income was $21.0 million. The adjusted figure excludes specified costs under management’s definition; it does not replace the reported loss. [5]
Chief executive and president Neal Arnold attributed the quarter’s weaker results to two large loan and merger and integration expenses. He also said the repositioning reduced several balance-sheet risks. The charge-offs and expenses are reported events; the expected longer-term benefits remain management’s assessment and depend on the combined bank’s subsequent performance. [5]
The insured bank after the transaction
At June 30, 2026, the FDIC reported $15.654 billion of assets, $13.475 billion of deposits, $11.536 billion of net loans and leases, and $1.928 billion of equity for the insured bank. Net income was $18.267 million for the first six months of 2026. These bank-only figures are converted from thousands of dollars; income is year to date, not standalone second-quarter profit. [2]
The midyear figures already include the April bank merger and subsequent second-quarter repositioning. Real-estate-secured loans totaled $7.032 billion, about 60.1% of gross loans and leases. That broad category includes more than commercial real estate. Neither the old standalone franchise nor the original pro forma merger total is a like-for-like comparison with this snapshot. [2][5]
Sources
- FDIC institution directory, October 2, 2026 index; reviewed October 5Official sourceBack to text: ↑
- FDIC June 30, 2026 bank financials; dollar fields in thousands; income year to dateOfficial sourceBack to text: ↑1↑2
- Sunflower Bank history, undated; reviewed October 5, 2026SourceBack to text: ↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5
- FirstSun and First Foundation merger-completion announcement, April 1, 2026SourceBack to text: ↑1↑2↑3
- FirstSun second-quarter 2026 results, July 27, 2026SourceBack to text: ↑1↑2↑3↑4↑5
- Sunflower Bank about page, including parent and brand structure; reviewed October 5, 2026SourceBack to text: ↑1↑2