Southstar Bank Insider - SouthStar Bank, S.S.B.

Employee Spotlight- Roni Nickelson

Roni Nickelson, Vice President/Loan Operations Manager | SouthStar Bank Calvert

Roni Nickelson is a Vice President and the Loan Operations Manager at the SouthStar Bank. Roni has been with us for almost two decades, with 19 years of experience under her belt. Along with her volume of experience, she has also been awarded the prestigious President’s Award on two separate occasions! The President’s Award is given out each year to the individual who the president and executive team feel has made the strongest contribution to the organization. Roni works tirelessly to ensure that she and her team can process loans effectively and efficiently. She enjoys the fast-paced, ever-changing environment that banking offers.

When Roni is out of the office, she is often found reading books or spending time near the water. She enjoys spending time at the lake, floating down the river, and of course, hanging out at the beach.

A Message from the President

Considering all the recent news on the big bank failures, I want to assure you our bank is safe. While there are some commonalities in the decline in the values of bonds at virtually all banks, there are also key differences.

The following are a few significant differences between our bank and the banks in the news:

The decline in value of our bond portfolio is very manageable at 14% capital. The failed banks had losses of up to 100% of their capital when they were required to cash in their securities. Our bond portfolio is stronger due to shorter maturities and proper management of interest rate risk. Even if we had to sell all securities, our capital strength would be twice the regulatory minimum Tier 1 requirement.
We do not have a significant volume of uninsured deposits. Eighty-one percent (81%) of our deposits are either insured or secured by pledged assets. Our uninsured deposits are spread between 572 accounts which are generally long-term stable customers. The problem banks typically grew very rapidly, accepting unstable concentrations of deposits from a relatively small group of new depositors. One of the problem banks only had about ten percent (10%) of their deposits insured.
The other key difference is our bank does not get involved with cryptocurrency or financing risky start-up tech businesses. The failed banks had concentrations of business in one or both categories. As a 103-year-old bank, we have established over 26,000 diverse deposit and loan relationships. Once the large concentration of uninsured depositors started moving their funds from the failed banks, they didn’t have sufficient liquidity to cover the withdrawals. We have ample available liquidity and two large borrowing lines to cover all uninsured depositors.

Aside from my support of our strength, there are several other rating companies that also reflect our bank as “5 Star” or “A” rated. Compare us to other banks, and I know am confident you will find SouthStar to be one of the strongest banks around. I encourage you to contact the Senior Officers at your local branch or me directly if you have any concerns. We want all our customers to feel comfortable with our bank as a safe place for any additional funds you, your friends, and your family have. Despite all the negative news on banks, we still believe our Star shines the brightest during these times.

David R. Kapavik
President/CEO

Employee Spotlight- Patricia Novosad

Patricia Novosad, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Shiner

Patricia Novosad is a Personal Banker in Shiner that has been with SouthStar Bank for over two decades. She takes great pride in providing exceptional service and building relationships with her customers. Patsy, as she is known to everyone, runs the drive-thru and works diligently to ensure every customer leaves with their needs met and a smile on their face.

Outside of work, Patsy is a member of the Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in Shiner, as well as the Catholic Daughters of America. She enjoys antique shopping and taking road trips with her husband. She loves to spend quality time with her entire family on amazing vacations and support her grandchildren at school and community functions. Her favorite trip was to Winter Park, Colorado, where she got to take in a breathtaking view of the Continental Divide and create longstanding memories with her family. She hopes to one day travel to Europe to visit Rome and the Czech Republic.

Employee Spotlight- Pam Browning

Pam Browning, Vice President/Branch Manager | SouthStar Bank Brazoria

Pam Browning is a Vice President and the Branch Manager at the SouthStar Bank Brazoria branch. Pam holds a wealth of banking experience, she will have been with the bank for 25 years in July. With over four decades of banking experience, Pam uses her expertise to best serve her customers and provide valuable insight to her peers and coworkers. This is further reinforced by the value she places on the connections and friendships she has been available to develop throughout her time in banking.

Pam is very involved in the Brazoria community, holding the position of Board Treasurer for the Brazoria Heritage Foundation and serving as Board President for the Brazoria Chamber of Commerce six separate times. Her dedication and hard work in the community have not gone unrecognized, as she has been named Outstanding Board Member of the Year four times and was also named Brazoria’s Woman of the Year in 2019.

Outside of her incredible contributions to SouthStar Bank and the Brazoria community, Pam enjoys spending time with her five grandchildren and reveling in the beauty of stained glass. Her husband is responsible for all the stained glass in the Moulton location. Pam herself constructed the transoms and sidelights for the Brazoria, Shiner, Gonzales, and Southwest Austin branches. Never short of talents or knowledge Pam still has a need for a thrill, with skydiving being an activity she hopes to knock off her bucket list in the near future.

Welcome Winter Larson

Winter Larson, Personal Banker | SouthStar Bank Harker Heights

Winter Larson has joined the SouthStar Bank Harker Heights team as a Personal Banker. She brings two years of banking experience, a year spent as a licensed escrow officer, and more than ten years in cash handling. Along with her experience, Winter is looking forward to bringing her determined work ethic and positive attitude to SouthStar Bank. Rain or shine, Winter always finds a way to smile through all situations and instill a positive attitude in those around her. Outside of work, Winter enjoys spending time near or on the water or meeting up with family and friends.

Welcome Winter!

Employee Spotlight- Melissa Thompson

Melissa Thompson, IT System Administrator II | SouthStar Bank Gonzales Annex

Melissa Thompson is an IT System Administrator II at the Gonzales Annex. She has been with SouthStar for 10 years and holds almost three decades of experience in the finance industry. Working in IT, much of what Melissa does is behind the scenes; however, her work has a significant impact bank-wide. Melissa takes pride in making everyone’s lives easier, working to simplify and automate processes to allow every employee to operate at maximum efficiency and help make our star shine.

Outside of work, Melissa is very involved in her local church, where she leads a Youth Group as well as a Ladies’ Bible Study. She enjoys organizing activities for the Youth Group, including an annual all-night lock-in, bowling trips, and the occasional Christian concert.

While Melissa spends her days at SouthStar plugged in, she covets the time she can spend unplugged. Her favorite vacation was a seven-day cruise where she was free from phone calls, the internet, and any semblance of a schedule. She also enjoys golfing with her husband, vacationing with her family, and spending time with her new grandson.