Guaranty Bank (Austin, TX) reported $66.8 million in insurance commissions and fees in 2005, up 42 percent from $47 million in 2004, according to the upcoming issue Singer´s Annuity & Funds Report. This will likely place Guaranty among the top 20 ´banks in insurance´ when the publication assembles its rankings later this year.

　　Guaranty Bank is the $16 billion (assets) thrift subsidiary of Temple-Inland, Inc., the Texas corrugated packaging and forest products firm. It operates some 140 banking centers in Texas and California.

　　In February 2005, Guaranty Insurance Services Inc. (GIS), the bank´s insurance unit——and the second-largest insurance agency in Texas——acquired Walter Mortensen Insurance of Bakersfield, California. The acquisition of $13.5 million (annual revenues) Walter Mortensen doubled the size of GIS´s presence inCalifornia and clearly had an impact on overall 2005 numbers.

　　Most insurance revenues came from commercial insurance activities. Had Guaranty Bank had $66.8 million in insurance brokerage revenues in 2004 (instead of 2005), it would have ranked 12th in Who´s Who in Bank Insurance (2005 Edition), just behind New Jersey´s Commerce Bancorp ($71.97 million).