The Dallas region is putting its branches where the opportunities are, zeroing in on the Dallas Metro-plex and the booming north central suburbs of Dallas in areas such as Frisco, the fastest-growing city in Texas. With the population of Dallas-Forth Worth at five million and growing, the opportunities are endless. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, Texas ranked number one nationally in new housing units with 149,000 built in 2003. The Dallas market alone built 38,000 new houses last year and Colonial has been right in the middle of this growth with its real estate construction loans growing by an average of 42% over the last three years.

In addition to the lending opportunities, the bank is focusing on the retail side of the business, and, in both Dallas and Austin, has developed a specialty of providing construction loans to doctors who are building their own medical offices and surgery centers. Once the buildings are completed, Colonial is capitalizing on growing noninterest income opportunities by cross-selling to these physicians, who often need mortgage, merchant, cash management, lock box, personal loan, direct deposit and wealth management services.