The History of Sunflower Bank

A History of Growth and Innovation

Throughout our history, strategic mergers and acquisitions combined with organic growth have shaped Sunflower Bank. Since our founding in the heartland of Kansas in 1892, we've become a full-service financial institution with locations in 10 states serving customers with personal banking, commercial banking, mortgage lending, and wealth management services.

The 2017 acquisition of First National Bank of Santa Fe in New Mexico and Colorado, with affiliated operations in Texas, and of Guardian Mortgage Company, with its boutique mortgage lending, significantly expanded our reach and services.  

Sunflower Bank continues to operate under the First National 1870 brand in Albuquerque, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe, NM, to honor its founding in 1870 as the first bank in the Southwestern US. For eight years, Guardian Mortgage was the name used for our mortgage services to acknowledge its legacy of mortgage excellence, even while combining with Sunflower Bank’s own mortgage operations. In 2025, our mortgage operations were reincorporated under the Sunflower Bank name.

Our merger with Pioneer Bank in 2022 allowed Sunflower Bank to rapidly expand in Texas, solidifying our presence in Dallas and beyond. During this same period, we expanded our mortgage business, adding top-tier teams in the Pacific Northwest and key cities within our operational footprint.

While our footprint expanded over the years, we’ve remained steadfast in our mission of “Bringing out the best in the lives we touch ... Creating Possibility.” As we look to the future, we continue living up to that mission in our communities with the excellence and innovation that define us.