Federal Reserve Board Approves BancFirst Corporation's Application to Acquire Spirit BankCorp
Key Takeaways
- •The Federal Reserve Board approved BancFirst Corporation's application to acquire and merge with Spirit BankCorp, Inc., in an announcement made on September 22, 2026.
- •Through the approved transaction, BancFirst will indirectly acquire SpiritBank, the Tulsa-based banking subsidiary of Spirit BankCorp.
- •A related proposal was also approved, allowing BancFirst to merge with SpiritBank and operate branches at SpiritBank's existing locations.
- •The applications were reviewed under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Bank Merger Act, with consideration of community needs, financial and managerial resources, and competitive effects.
- •The Board's written order and the recorded votes of its members were made publicly available on the Federal Reserve's website alongside the announcement.
The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, announced its approval of the application by BancFirst Corporation, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to acquire and merge with Spirit BankCorp, Inc., of Bristow, Oklahoma. Through the transaction, BancFirst will indirectly acquire SpiritBank, of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Board separately approved a related proposal allowing BancFirst, of Oklahoma City, to merge with SpiritBank and to establish and operate branches at the locations of SpiritBank.
The announcement was released at 4:30 p.m. EDT and published on the Federal Reserve's website. The Board also made its written order approving the applications available as a PDF, and recorded the votes of its members on the Board Votes page of its website.
Transaction Background
BancFirst Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Spirit BankCorp, Inc. is a holding company based in Bristow, Oklahoma, whose banking subsidiary is SpiritBank, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Because the transaction involves holding companies on both sides, it falls under the Federal Reserve's prior-approval framework for banking organizations, outlined below.
Regulatory Review
Under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Bank Merger Act, banking organizations must obtain prior approval from the Federal Reserve to acquire or merge with other bank holding companies or banks. In evaluating such applications, the Board weighs statutory factors including the convenience and needs of the communities to be served, the financial and managerial resources of the organizations involved, and the competitive effects of the proposed transaction. The Board typically documents its determinations in a written order and publishes the individual votes of its members; for this approval, both were released alongside Tuesday's announcement, giving readers a direct public record of the decision.
The full press release is available on the Federal Reserve's website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/orders20260922a.htm, with the order at https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/files/orders20260922a1.pdf and the Board's votes at https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/boardvotes.htm.
For media inquiries, the Federal Reserve Board's press office can be reached by or by telephone at (202) 452-2955.
