BOK Financial to Acquire GTRUST Financial Corporation

Updated

BOK Financial to Acquire GTRUST Financial Corporation

Transaction adds $600 million in assets to BOK Financial's wealth management platform, extends suite of wealth management products and services, expands the company's offerings and client base in growing Kansas market

TULSA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BOK Financial Corporation announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire GTRUST Financial Corporation, a Topeka, Kansas-based independent trust and asset management company. This acquisition will increase BOK Financial's assets under management or custody by $600 million and expand the company's capabilities and presence in the Kansas market. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.


Founded in 1991, GTRUST provides a range of financial services for its clients including asset and risk management, tax planning, fee-only financial planning, debt management, estate planning and charitable/social capital strategy.

As BOK Financial's first acquisition of a fee-only financial planner, GTRUST provides a new wealth management capability that can be leveraged across the company's entire geographic footprint.

"Wealth management is an important growth business for us, and we look forward to having GTRUST under the BOK Financial umbrella," said Steve Bradshaw, senior executive vice president for BOK Financial. "We believe that this acquisition provides us with new wealth management products and expertise, a talented and creative team of wealth management entrepreneurs who have built and grown a successful business, and an expanded presence in the important Kansas market. It is also a win/win, as the talented team at GTRUST now has the entire portfolio of BOK Financial products and services to provide to its clients in more than 25 states."

"Our acquisition of The Milestone Group last year was very successful. Milestone has seen its discretionary assets expand by 19 percent in just over a year as part of our company," said Bradshaw. "Our goal is to replicate that success with GTRUST and continue to build our wealth management platform going forward."

"BOK Financial was a natural fit for us, as the two organizations share a common philosophy and approach to wealth management based on putting the client's needs front-and-center in our respective planning processes," said Daryl Craft, president and CEO of GTRUST Financial Corporation. "With BOK Financial's fiscal strength, breadth of services, and marketing know-how supporting our business, we believe we can provide our clients with an even more comprehensive suite of products and services to support their overall financial needs."

GTRUST has a team of 30 trust and investment professionals in Topeka, Wichita, Marysville, Larned and Overland Park, Kan. Current GTRUST client teams will remain in place and continue to serve their clients.

BOK Financial is a $28 billion financial services company headquartered in Tulsa, Okla. with operations in 10 states, including Kansas. The company's subsidiary, Bank of Kansas City, began seven years ago and has locations in the Kansas City and Overland Park areas. Additionally, the company has mortgage offices in Wichita and Salina, and services wealth management and commercial clients throughout the state.

The acquisition is expected to close before the end of the fourth quarter 2013 and is subject to customary regulatory approval. Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers served as legal counsel to BOK Financial. Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP served as legal counsel to GTRUST.

About BOK Financial Corporation

BOK Financial Corporation is a $28 billion regional financial services company based in Tulsa, Okla. The company's stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the Global Select market listings (symbol: BOKF). BOK Financial's holdings include BOKF, NA, BOSC, Inc., The Milestone Group, Inc., and Cavanal Hill Investment Management, Inc. BOKF, NA operates the TransFund electronic funds network and seven banking divisions: Bank of Albuquerque,Bank of Arizona,Bank of Arkansas,Bank of Kansas City,Bank of Oklahoma,Bank of Texas, and Colorado State Bank and Trust. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides commercial and consumer banking, investment and trust services, mortgage origination and servicing, and an electronic funds transfer network. For more information, visit www.bokf.com.

About GTRUST Financial Corporation

GTRUST was founded in 1991 as an employee owned and operated organization specializing in trust and asset management services. Since the beginning, GTRUST's premise has been straightforward - find the right investment solution for each client, one-by-one. Individuals, businesses and organizations look to GTRUST for financial advice and solid results. The firm's dedicated, experienced team of trust and investment professionals are committed to providing clients superior retirement, financial and estate planning, investments and tax planning services.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs, assumptions, current expectations, estimates and projections about BOK Financial, the financial services industry and the economy generally. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "plans," "projects," variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Management judgments relating to and discussion of the provision and allowance for credit losses involve judgments as to future events and are inherently forward-looking statements. Assessments that BOK Financial's acquisitions and other growth endeavors will be profitable are necessary statements of belief as to the outcome of future events based in part on information provided by others which BOK Financial has not independently verified. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions which are difficult to predict with regard to timing, extent, likelihood and degree of occurrence. Therefore, actual results and outcomes may materially differ from what is expected, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Internal and external factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to (1) the ability to fully realize expected cost savings from mergers within the expected time frames, (2) the ability of other companies on which BOK Financial relies to provide goods and services in a timely and accurate manner, (3) changes in interest rates and interest rate relationships, (4) demand for products and services, (5) the degree of competition by traditional and nontraditional competitors, (6) changes in banking regulations, tax laws, prices, levies and assessments, (7) the impact of technological advances and (8) trends in consumer behavior as well as their ability to repay loans. BOK Financial and its affiliates undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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BOK Financial
Media:
Andrea Myers, 918-594-7794
Vice President, Senior Corporate Communications Manager
amyers@bokf.com
or
Investors:
Joe Crivelli, 918-594-7794
Senior Vice President, Director-Investor Relations
jcrivelli@bokf.com

KEYWORDS: United States North America Kansas Oklahoma

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

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