There most likely won't be any more existing bank takeovers before the year ends, GlobeSt.com is told, but the Denton branch could be expanded and land acquired before 2003 rolls around. "We certainly are planning for future growth," says Joseph Milcoun, First Bank & Trust's senior vice president. The 6,000-sf, freestanding facility in Denton is at 321 W. Oak. The other buy is an 1,800-sf spot at 987 W. Centerville Rd., part of a three-tenant building on a pad site in a shopping center.

The $1.4-million acquisition of "core deposit intangibles" is amortized over seven years. Milcoun says all employees have been retained in the previously publicized takeover of the Jefferson Heritage Bank. First Bank now has five locations in North Texas and three in Houston.

The Garland office has about $15.2 million in deposits and Denton, about $49.9 million, according to a First Bank press release. As of March 31, parent First Banks America Inc. had consolidated assets of $2.99 billion. In all, it operates 49 offices in northern and southern California and Texas.