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

Welcome Melissa Chavez

Melissa Chavez, Retail Quality Control Specialist | SouthStar Bank Loan Administration Building

Melissa Chavez joins the SouthStar Bank team as a Retail Quality Control Specialist. She offices inside of the loan administration building in Leander. Melissa brings over 10 years of industry experience with her to SouthStar Bank. She is most excited to assist SouthStar Bank in becoming the preferred community bank with her creative ideas and skills.

Outside of the office, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family and cooking new recipes. Her biggest personal achievement is becoming a mother and a wife.

Welcome to the team, Melissa!

SouthStar Bank 100th Anniversary Events

We invite you to join us in celebrating our 100th Anniversary.

It’s our anniversary and we are celebrating! In honor of this momentous occasion, we will be hosting mini celebrations throughout October ending on October 21^st in Moulton. We would not be where we are today without our terrific customers, so we invite you to join us in celebrating. All events are free and open to everyone.

Check out the event details below to find the branch party nearest you:

Oct. 1: Brazoria | Hot Dogs, 11am-1pm
Oct. 2: Leander | Breakfast, 8:30am-10:30am
Oct. 5: Round Rock | Coffee & Tea, 8am-11am
Oct. 6: Georgetown | BBQ & Ice Cream, 11am-1pm
Oct. 7: Steiner Ranch | Cookies, 8am-5pm
Oct. 8: Bee Cave | Cookies, 8am-5pm
Oct. 9: Southwest Austin | Cookies & Ice Cream, 3pm-5pm
Oct. 13: Hearne | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm
Oct. 14: Franklin | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm
Oct. 15: Bremond | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm
Oct. 15: Harker Heights | Family Movie Night, 5:30pm-8:30pm
Oct. 16: Calvert | Kona Ice, 3pm-5pm
Oct. 19: Gonzales | Cookies, 2:30pm-4:30pm
Oct. 20: Shiner | Cookies, 9am-3pm

Oct. 21: Moulton | BBQ, Live Music, & Door Prizes, 5pm-7pm

Employee Spotlight – Elise Giles

Elise Giles, Senior Vice President & Specialty CRE Director| SouthStar Bank Steiner Ranch

Elise Giles is a Senior Vice President and the Managing Director for Specialty CRE, which stands for Commercial Real Estate. She has been with SouthStar Bank for over four years and is located at the Steiner Ranch Branch. One of Elise’s biggest accomplishments in her 34-year career is obtaining her CCIM Designation which she received in October 2019. The Southwest Texas alum earned the designation, which is like a CPA designation for commercial real estate. Elise’s natural connecting and problem-solving skills have allowed her success in the industry. She loves using her skills to create deals and make long lasting relationships with clients, builders, developers, and bankers. One of her favorite things now is sharing her knowledge with the next generation of professionals working their way up the ranks.

Outside of work, Elise is involved in multiple organizations in her community. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the Board of Commercial Real Estate Women and Designation Promotion Chair for CCIM Central Texas. Outside of her professional organizations, Elise is a member of Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church and their Chancel Choir. Elise volunteers with her church’s Flower Ministry where they create individual arrangements to give to those in hospitals, retirement homes, and that are home ill. She also supports Dress for Success which supports under privileged women in the Austin area with interview skills, resume writing, and business attire.

Elise is enjoys spending time with her husband and her three grown children. Elise has many hobbies including gardening, hiking, traveling, and power boating around Lake Travis. Over the next year, Elise will be helping her son and future daughter in law plan their wedding to be held in Austin in 2021! Her dream vacation would be to visit Australia and New Zealand. A secret talent of Elise’s is her singing ability. She was a voice performance major on scholarship in college and has performed as a soloist in many choirs including the Houston Symphony Chorus.

NMLS#1493386

SouthStar Bank Then & Now: 1970

A look back on the Banking Industry 50 years ago.

The Bank celebrated its Golden 50th Anniversary in October of 1970. Since the 25th anniversary, the Bank had made renovations to the building and W.H. Pundt took over as Bank President.

Hallmark moments in 1970 banking included:

September 2, 1970 marked the one-year anniversary of the first atm opening.
Congress chartered the Federal Loan Mortgage Association (Freddie Mac) to provide capital to finance U.S. Housing.
Automated Clearing House InterBank Payment System, a private company, was created to clear checks.
The Bank Holding Company Amendments (BHCA) of 1970 were passed, requiring the Federal Reserve Board’s approval for the establishment of a bank holding company.

Today, SouthStar Bank continues to evolve and expand with the renovation of our Moulton Headquarters.

We will celebrate our 100th Anniversary where it all began on October 21, 5:00-7:00PM.

100 S. Main St. Moulton, TX

SouthStar Bank 100th Anniversary Book Drive Results

Thank you to everyone who donated to our book drive!

Over the past 100 years SouthStar Bank has built a tradition of community service, supporting past generations and the generations to come. In honor of its 100th anniversary, SouthStar Bank continued this tradition by hosting a bank-wide book drive. Each branch partnered with local elementary schools to collect new books for their libraries.

With the goal of donating 100 books in honor of its 100 years, SouthStar Bank kicked off the drive by donating 500 books. Many of the books, such as “Bunny Money” and “The Lemonade War,” provided a fun way to introduce financial education to elementary students.

The book drive was met with overwhelming support from the community. Total donations exceeded 8,200 books.

“What better way to celebrate than getting the community involved! We are fortunate to be a part of such a generous network who shares in our commitment to local youth.” said SouthStar Bank President David Kapavik. “Kids are our future, and it’s our goal to support their education and growth.”

With this goal in mind, SouthStar Bank is continuing the celebration by offering $100 scholarship bonuses to each new youth savings account opened through September 30.

Employee Spotlight – Laura Desselle

Laura Desselle, Loan Operations Processor| SouthStar Bank Calvert

Laura is a Loan Operations Processor at our Calvert location. Although she is new to the banking industry, Laura still enjoys helping clients find a financial solution to make their dreams a reality. A career highlight for Laura was helping her customers acquire PPP loans during such an unpredictable time.

Outside of work, Laura loves to spend time with her four kids. Together they enjoy kicking the soccer ball around, hiking, watching movies, and playing board games. In her community, Laura currently serves as Cheer Coordinator for the Franklin Youth Football & Cheer League.

A fun fact about Laura is that she was raised in an Agrarian Christian Community. Due to her upbringing, Laura can sew, knit, crochet, cross stich, weave, create wood and leather work, make pottery, play the piano nominally, and speak Hebrew.