American Planning Corp. acquired by b1Bank

American Planning Corp., a Baton Rouge, LA-based consulting firm focusing on community banks, has been acquired by b1Bank, a Baton Rouge-headquartered regional bank.

Founded in 1972, American Planning provides outsourced CFO services, financial modeling, strategic planning, capital planning, asset/liability management, stock valuations, and regulatory consulting to community banks.

The boutique firm, which is led by CEO T. Jefferson Fair, has a team of eight professionals listed on its website.

“Jeff Fair and his team have earned the trust of community bankers over many years – including ours,” said Jude Melville, chairman, president, and CEO of Business First Bancshares, Inc., the holding company for b1Bank. “We’ve worked together since our founding twenty years ago, and I have complete confidence that by formally joining forces, we will amplify the positive impact Jeff already has had on the community banking industry.”

American Planning will join b1Bank subsidiary Smith Shellnut Wilson (SSW), a registered investment advisor – expanding its platform beyond investment management and asset/liability management.

“SSW’s investment management and ALM experience complements American Planning’s work in community bank financial and strategic planning,” said Fair. “We’ve served many of the same clients for years, working toward the same goals. Now we’ll do it as one team.”

B1Bank has over $8 billion in assets and operates throughout Louisiana and Texas.