Greenville, SC and Ruston, LA – Argent Financial Group announced today the acquisition of East Broad Trust Company with offices in Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina. The combination significantly extends Argent’s geographical reach and allows the clients of East Broad to take advantage of the resources of a major regional financial services entity and benefit from the progressive trust and estate planning laws of Tennessee by associating with Argent’s Tennessee Trust charter.
East Broad is domiciled in Greenville and has an additional office in Columbia. East Broad will retain its management team, led by Jordan Earle and Steve Fisher. East Broad’s Earle and Fisher have over 45 years of combined experience in financial services. Marie Bird, of the Columbia office, will add significant depth with her specialty in special needs trust and her 30 years of experience. With this acquisition, Earle, senior Greenville executive, will also join the Argent Trust Company board. The growing southern footprint increases Argent’s total client asset base to approximately $6 billion and adds to its cumulative industry experience.
“After careful consideration, we decided to merge East Broad Trust Company with Argent to be able to deliver a broader range of trust administration and wealth management services,” said Earle. “Our board and management team reviewed many options and one of the many reasons we selected Argent was the benefits our clients can receive by taking advantage of Tennessee trust law.”
“Argent Financial Group’s organizational approach utilizes highly qualified local professionals to lead its subsidiaries and market offices, while providing the full resources, experience and technological support of a major regional wealth management services company. We believe the staff at East Broad will significantly grow our presence in the South Carolina market,” said Kyle McDonald, CEO of Argent Financial Group.
The combined Company will deliver its services in South Carolina under the brand name Argent Trust.
About Argent Financial Group, Inc.
Argent Financial Group, Inc., domiciled in Ruston, Louisiana, was formed in 1990 and traces its roots back to 1930. Responsible for more than $6 billion in client assets, Argent Financial Group is a regional financial services entity providing individuals and businesses with a broad range of financial services including trust administration and related services, investment management, retirement plan and charitable organization administration, mineral (oil and gas) management and financial, retirement and estate planning.
