Name: Bracher, Paul
Title: President of Frost Bank
Texas A&M Class: 1978
Inducted: 2018
Paul Bracher grew up west of San Antonio in the town of Uvalde, TX, playing golf and basketball, and ultimately becoming the student body president of Uvalde High School. After graduating, he enrolled at Texas A&M University in the fall of 1974, where he joined the Corps of Cadets. His company, E-2, was responsible for taking care of both Reveille III and Reveille IV. At the start of his junior year, Paul left the Corps of Cadets to start the University’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, one of the very first fraternities at Texas A&M. Academically, he credits much of his success to mentors in his economics and business classes, including Dr. Ivan Schmedemann and Dr. Wendy Gramm. He graduated with his B.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1978.
Paul worked for the Texas Department of Banking starting in 1978. His first job was as a regional examiner of banks within a 250-mile radius of Dallas. He was head examiner in the North Austin region, until he joined Frost Bank in 1981. He started his career at Frost Bank as a loan review analyst and held various roles for the next ten years, including commercial lending and special asset management. In 1989, he was named president of the Corpus Christi branch. His success in Corpus Christi prompted a move to the bank’s headquarters in San Antonio in 1992.
From 1992 to 1997, Paul had responsibility for all commercial, energy, and real estate lending in the San Antonio market. In addition, he had responsibility for commercial Treasury Management and Correspondent Banking services on a statewide basis. During that time, the bank expanded its operational capabilities to North Texas and entered into the equipment leasing business. Paul was also appointed to the bank’s Executive Committee during this time. During 1997 to 2002, Paul was given additional responsibilities for the bank’s consumer lending portfolio, including mortgage lending during the time Texas passed legislation to allow for home equity loans and lines of credit. Further responsibilities leading up to today included being named State Regions President with oversight of banking activities in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth.
Today, Paul serves as President of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Chief Banking Officer of Frost Bank, which handles more than $30 billion in assets and has 135+ branches throughout the state. As President, Paul travels across the state meeting with various clients to ensure their banking needs are achieved and to build a stronger network of Frost Bank branches throughout the state.
Paul has served his community on multiple boards, including the South Texas Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as Chairman; the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce as head of their Education Committee; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mission Road Development Center; and on various committees within the Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio. Paul has also taken time to give back to the University, serving on the Finance Advisory Board of the Mays School of Business and as a guest lecturer for the Rural Entrepreneurship program.
Paul and his wife, Laurie, have two children, Clint ’06, and Whitney ’09 who is married to Drew Pigg. His favorite activities include golfing and fishing with friends and family. He also enjoys time spent at the family cow-calf operation near Fort McKavett, continuing the family’s ranching legacy.
