Industry Bancshares was recently acquired by Cadence Bank, which included banks such as Citizens State Bank of Buffalo and not affiliated with Citizens State Bank in Sealy, Industry State Bank, First National Bank of Bellville, Fayetteville Bank, First National Bank of Shiner and Bank of Brenham. The quiet acquisition of Industry Bancshares by Cadence was finalized less than two weeks ago. In a surprise turnaround, Cadence then sold out to Huntington Bank, with barely enough time for the new decals to dry.
The former Industry Bancshares became Cadence, which became Huntington Bank. All this happened in the twinkle of an eye and just as many account holders got their accounts straightened out from some of the issues that always arise when there is a transition.
What does this do to the account holder when the ink is dry on the Huntington Bank transfer and the new decals are applied?
Firstly, Cadence completed its acquisition with FCB Financial Corp. on May 1, 2025, and Industry Bancshares on July 1, 2025, which added more than 380 branches in the South and Texas. At the time, Industry Bancshares reported total assets of $4.4 billion and total deposits of $4.5 billion as of March 31 in an unaudited report.
Cadence acquired Industry Bancshares after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) regulators stepped in because there were problems of risky financial de cisions made by Industry Bancshares that could have caused the collapse of Industry Bancshares and the failure and closures of its offices.
Industry Bancshares found its ledgers invested with unrealized bonds and other long-term securities with short-term deposits. Along with interest rates rising sharply, long-term investment values dropped precipitously, showing the bank with unreal- ized losses. This threw up a red flag warning.
OCC issued a formal Notice of Charges in 2023, accusing the bank of engaging in unsafe and unsound practices and weakness in internal control and governance. Industry Bancshares quickly found a buyer before the OCC declared it insolvent.
Cadence Bank, a highly solvent bank, stepped in to buy up Industry Bancshares. In just a few short weeks, the general public found that Huntington Bank had merged with Cadence. Importantly, Cadence Bank did not sell to Huntington Bank, but merged as a way to strengthen Cadence’s stakeholders' positions, as the sale was not driven by a need to sell.
Huntington Bank is a top-10 U.S. regional banking system founded in 1866 and strong enough with over $223 billion in assets for the OCC to give a nod to Huntington to merge with Cadence Bank.
The $7.4 billion all-stock deal expands Huntington Bank into highgrowth markets in Texas and the Southwest, putting it in the top five market share in Houston and Dallas. The super-strong Huntington Bank intends to maintain all Cadence branch offices. It also has more than 1,000 branches in 14 states.
As an account holder, you are FDIC insured up to a certain amount. With a systems conversion to Huntington Bank in the second quarter of 2026, Cadence Bank and its branches will adopt Huntington Bank’s name and brand. Branch offices should continue to operate as the same smalltown bank with many familiar faces.
There probably will be transition problems like what occurred with Industry Bancshares to Cadence Bank, but according to filings and reports, Huntington Bank is a solid, stable banking system that has the thumbs up from regulatory departments to do the deal.
