Southwest Ban history

Southwest National Bank’s original bank charter was granted to L. S. Naftzger on March 15, 1915 to do business as Southwest State Bank.

The bank changed its name to First National Bank of Perryton, Texas soon after the Santa Fe Railway announced a line expansion from Shattuck, Oklahoma to Spearman, Texas in 1919.

After eight years of operation, Southwest State Bank received authority to expand its operation as a national bank and remains today as one of only three banks in Wichita to survive the Great Depression of 1929.

Carl Ellis bought controlling interest in the bank in 1934.

Only six banks reopened and by 1936 another period of growth began in Wichita.

In 1960 John Naftzger announced plans to move his bank from its original facility at 326 East Douglas to a new banking house of traditional Williamsburg colonial architecture complimented by furnishings representative of the era.

That same ownership remained in place until 1969 with Samuel D. Levenson, already a well-known business leader in the region, purchased Southwest Capital Bank.

In 1975, when Wichita’s old City Library was converted to the Omnisphere, the historic 60 year old mural by Arthur Sinclair Covey was rescued by the Naftzger family, restored and installed in the main lobby of the downtown bank.

To better serve the expanding city, Southwest built its first branch near Towne West at Tracy and Taft in 1980.

In 1989, after three generations of Naftzger ownership and management, the Naftzger family sold Southwest National Bank to V. Jerry Blue, a Wichita Businessman who also owned the Twin Lakes Bank & Trust.

Bank of the Southwest opened its doors in Roswell on December 10, 1992.

In March of 1993, the holding company purchased First Bank of Truth or Consequences and changed the name to Bank of the Southwest at Truth or Consequences.

The bank merged operations and changed the name to FirstBank Southwest, National Association in 1995.

Greg W. Levenson began working at a very young age during his summer school vacations and joined full time in 2000.

Coats and Shoes for Kids began in the fall of 2001, which means this is our 20th year to help keep our kids warm!

The bank changed its charter from a National Bank to a State-Chartered Bank in 2005, making the name simply FirstBank Southwest.