MEMPHIS, TN - Argent Financial Group, operator of one of the region’s oldest full-service independent trust companies, today announced the opening of the Memphis office of Argent Trust Company of Tennessee, a full-service trust and wealth management center.
Argent recently acquired Memphis-based Investment Counsel and Trust Company (ICT), and hired several highly-experienced financial professionals from Regions Morgan Keegan, to create an organization that is managed by local professionals and backed by a strong regional entity with decades of trust experience.
“We are very excited about creating a new, local option for meeting financial services and trust needs in the greater-Memphis area,” said Kyle McDonald, CEO of Argent Financial Group and chairman of Argent Trust Company of Tennessee. “Our team of experienced trust professionals in Memphis is ready to offer a level of personal trust and investment management services unsurpassed by any other provider in the area.”
Led by George Pappas and Beth Bell, Kristen Sears and Brent Westbrook from Morgan Keegan have joined with Paulette Bukauskas and Anne Mahony, formerly of ICT, to form Argent Trust of Tennessee’s Memphis team.
ICT was founded in Memphis more than 20 years ago and has been owned by Harold “Gus” Fletcher since the early 1990s. Fletcher has elected to resign and is pursuing other business opportunities after completing the sale of ICT to Argent Financial Group.
McDonald also said that James Ganier, former vice-chairman of Morgan Keegan and Company, and Frank Oldham, former chairman and CEO of American State Bank, have agreed to join the Argent Trust of Tennessee Board of Directors, as well as George Pappas, who has been named President of Argent Trust of Tennessee.
“This is an incredible combination – building from the foundation of a 30-year-old local business, we’ve added several of Memphis’ best-known financial professionals, and a Board of Directors with deep ties to the regional financial and trust industry,” McDonald said. “It’s a powerful team to start with, and we intend to grow the Argent Trust office in Memphis by providing the kind of knowledgeable, personal service that can only be found with independent professionals who are part of the community.”
McDonald noted that all customers of Argent Trust Company of Tennessee will have access to both existing services and a significantly expanded range of new financial services and opportunities, including comprehensive investment management, retirement and corporate trust services, and mineral (oil and gas) wealth management.
About Argent Trust Company of Tennessee, Memphis Office The Argent Trust of Tennessee Memphis office is located at 5350 Poplar Avenue, Suite 700, in east Memphis, and can be reached at 901-767-3103. For more information, visit www.argentmoney.com, and click on Tennessee.
About Argent Financial GroupArgent Financial Group, based in Ruston, Louisiana, has been in operation since 1990 and traces its roots back to 1930. Responsible for more than $2.0 billion in client assets, Argent Financial Group is a diversified financial services entity providing individuals and businesses in five Southern states a broad range of products and services including trust administration and related services, investment management, retirement plan and charitable organization administration, mineral (oil and gas) leasing, production monitoring and management, financial, retirement and estate planning, and brokerage services (offered through UVEST Financial Services). For more information, visit www.argentmoney.com. 
