Loyal to Oklahoma: The BancFirst Story
History / 2 Cities Press, 2015
H. E. “Gene” Rainbolt and his son, David, created the BancFirst Corporation during the energy bust of the 1980s, when bank failures set the tone for a decade that Oklahoma bankers would just as soon forget. Where others saw only problems, the Rainbolts perceived opportunities. Combining their disparate, yet complementary skills, father and son committed themselves to building Oklahoma, one community at a time. Highlights in BancFirst’s colorful history include Gene Rainbolt’s unique strategy of assembling banking interests and managing them through Thunderbird Financial Corporation; the energy bust of the 1980s, heralded by the catastrophic failure of Penn Square Bank in July 1982; and David Rainbolt’s success in developing policies and strategic plans to complement his father’s entrepreneurial energy.