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Commerce Bank President and CEO Ignacio Urrabazo, Jr. has used his steady regional banking success to become one of America’s leading authorities on minority and small business banking. Since taking the reins of Commerce Bank in 1983, Urrabazo has capitalized on his knowledge of national monetary and regulatory policies, small business development and the complex economic climate of the U.S.-Mexico border region to produce solid financial gains. The bank’s assets have increased form $10 million to more than $500 million. This growth has consistently placed Commerce Bank within the top 10 percent of high-performing banks in Texas and garnered industry recognition. The bank has received the prestigious Gibraltar award three times for showing best Return on Assets, based on a five year average, and was named a one of the best community banks in the U.S. in 1996 by American Banker magazine. Commerce Bank is a member of International Bancshares Corporation, a $10.3 billion multi-bank holding company and the largest minority-owned financial institution in the nation.Urrabazo’s banking record in Texas has helped elevate him to a position of influence in the U.S. banking industry, as the former Chairman of the Board of the National Bankers Association in Washington, D.C. This 85-year-old organization represents a group of minority and women-owned banks. As chairman, Urrabazo is called upon to give feedback to FDIC leadership on the needs of small and minority-owned banks, work with members of Congress on banking legislation and address issues of national concern with officials of the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy. Urrabazo also provides input on various initiatives and activities of other banking organizations, such as the Government Relations Committee of the American Bankers Association, and has held various positions including member of the Executive Committee of the Texas Bankers Association.Urrabazo’s latest banking commitment is a non-profit foundation he helped establish and organize, along with the members of the National Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association. The Minbanc Foundation is a $3 million organization, which will provide scholarships for the professional education and training of minority bank employees and officers. Urrabazo was elected Chairman of the Foundation’s eight-member board of directors. In addition to working on behalf of the Foundation, Urrabazo will continue to lead efforts by the National Bankers Association to bring employment opportunities, entrepreneurial capital and economic revitalization to areas of the country that often have little or no access to financial resources and services.Urrabazo’s professional achievements have led to numerous awards and honors, including the 1986 Hispanic Banker of the Year award from the Hispanic California Bankers Association and the 1999 Gold Nugget award from the College of Business Administration at his alma mater, the University of Texas at El Paso. This award is given each year to a single graduate whose accomplishments away from school have brought prestige to UTEP. In 2000 he was inducted into the Laredo Business Hall of Fame.Volunteer service also takes up a large part of Urrabazo’s time. He has served on the advisory board of the Texas Department of Banking. He also serves or has served as Chairman of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Small Business Development Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, Texas Council on Economic Education and the United Way. In 1998, Urrabazo wrote an article assessing the economic significance of maquiladoras, which was published in the Future of Texas. Because of his familiarity with Texas and border economic issues, he testified before Congress in 1995 on the impact of NAFTA on job creation.Urrabazo served in the U.S. Marine Corps and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and Economics at the University of Texas at El Paso and an MBA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He also has an advanced banking degree from Southern Methodist Univeristy’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. | 