Dallas-based Sunflower Bank N.A. has consolidated two Spokane branches into one new licensed depository branch and is expanding into North Idaho with the opening of a new loan production office in Coeur d’Alene to meet high demand in the Inland Northwest region. 

The bank consolidated its two existing Spokane branches — one at 239 W. Main and the other at 835 N. Post — into one leased 17,000-square-foot office at 244 W. Main following renovation efforts, which concluded in February, says Josh Martin, managing director of mortgage lending at Sunflower Bank. 

The bank originally established a Spokane presence in 2019 through its Guardian Mortgage home loan division, which rebranded to Sunflower Bank in 2025. Martin is based in Spokane and was promoted to managing director of mortgage lending from director of mortgage sales in February. Sunflower Bank has 46 employees in Spokane.

In Coeur d’Alene, Sunflower Bank has recruited a 14-person mortgage team to staff its newly leased office at 105 N. Fourth, which opened at the beginning of the year. The bank established a loan production office in the North Idaho market due to its proximity to the Spokane area, in addition to the region’s high rate of mortgage production growth, says Martin.

“They made the decision to join Sunflower and it's been a great opportunity for us, so we'll see probably an even higher percentage of growth in Idaho in the future,” he says.

Martin declines to disclose which company Sunflower's lending team was recruited from.

The financial institution also has hired a nine-person mortgage lending team to staff its office in Meridian, Idaho, where mortgage production and lending rates in North Idaho have grown at a similar pace to the Spokane region, he adds.

Sunflower Bank has experienced a 25% increase in funded loan activity year over year for first lien mortgages in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene market since 2024, Martin says, adding that the bank's new office and mortgage teams will help meet demand in both Spokane and North Idaho.

Sunflower Bank's new offices also will allow the company to expand in the region and add additional mortgage sales positions such as loan originators and sales and operation managers. In addition to meeting mortgage growth demands, the bank's team in Spokane will focus on private banking and wealth management services expansion, Martin adds.

“We've done really good with the mortgage teams here — they've just done a great job,” Martin says. “We currently offer the services of private banking and wealth management, and we'll be looking to expand those services even further and just continue to offer great customer service and create some more jobs and operational support.”

Renovations to the bank’s combined office were minimal and prioritized the addition of new offices and a redesign of the existing office layout, according to permit information on file with the city of Spokane.

Martin declines to disclose the cost of the renovation. Spokane-based Construction Services, a trade name for Barnes Homes Inc., served as the contractor, and Design Source Inc., also of Spokane, provided design and architectural services, he says.

“The actual construction phase was about seven months long, but we were exploring and trying to find a good location to get both of our teams together, as well as support additional hiring in the market,” Martin explains. “One of the challenges in the Spokane area was finding a space large enough for everybody, and getting over that 10,000-square-foot mark really limits inventory, so we were happy to finally find something that can get everybody under one roof.”

A loan production office is separate from a depository branch and is not approved to accept deposits, explains Jeanne Lipson, marketing director for Sunflower Bank. The bank operates 71 licensed depository branches in the states of Washington, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California, and has mortgage capabilities in 44 states including Idaho, Martin says.

Sunflower Bank has over 1,100 employees nationwide and holds more than $8.5 billion in assets, Lipson adds.

“Sunflower is a bank that's focused on growth, and we're excited to continue that growth in the Pacific Northwest,” says Martin. “We definitely have a focus on the Pacific Northwest and really enjoy the market here and working with all our customers here. It's just a great place to do business, and we love being here.”