Central Bancompany to acquire Kansas bank

Central Bancompany, Jefferson City, Mo., has agreed to purchase Douglas County Bank, Lawrence, Kan..The $295 million Douglas County will merge with Central's Metcalf Bank, Lee's Summit, Mo..The combined bank will have $1.5 billion in assets with $1.1 billion in loans and $1.4 billion in deposits and will operate 33 branches in 17 communities in eastern Kansas and western Missouri.."Important in this decision was choosing a bank that would continue with the same local community focus we believe in," said Pat Slabaugh, Douglas County president..After the merger Slabaugh will serve as the company's community bank president, and lending officers, tellers and other key personnel also will be retained. All seven of Douglas County's branches are expected to remain open.."Douglas County Bank has a long and proud history of community and customer service. We share a similar culture and are excited at this opportunity to expand into Lawrence," said Tom Fitzsimmons, Metcalf chairman and CEO..The deal is expected to close early next year..The $10.8 billion Central Bancompany owns twelve other banks in Missouri and Oklahoma.