Her Story
About Barbara
Barbara Hummel is an accomplished banking professional and business development executive with more than 30 years of experience in financial services, customer relationship management, and community engagement. She currently serves as Business Development Officer at First Commercial Bank, N.A., where she helps businesses and individuals identify financial solutions that support their growth and long-term success. Throughout her career, Hummel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to industry changes while maintaining a steadfast commitment to exceptional client service and relationship building.
Hummel began her career as a teller in the savings and loan industry while attending college, gaining firsthand experience at the foundation of retail banking. She then spent nearly a decade in corporate compensation with BOC Gases, developing expertise in employee relations, compensation administration, and organizational support. Following her time at BOC Gases, she worked in the insurance industry with State Farm, further strengthening her client service and relationship management skills.
After relocating to Texas, Hummel joined USAA Federal Savings Bank, where she worked in consumer lending and the Titles and Liens Department for seven years. She later continued her banking career with Amegy Bank, where she spent more than a decade advancing to Assistant Vice President and Branch Service Manager. In that role, she expanded her expertise in operations, client services, leadership, and business development. She now brings that experience to First Commercial Bank, where she focuses on helping clients achieve their financial goals through personalized banking solutions.
Today, Hummel's work centers on cultivating meaningful relationships throughout the community. She actively participates in networking events, develops new business opportunities, and works closely with clients to connect them with lending, deposit, and banking solutions tailored to their needs. When not meeting with prospective clients, she focuses on maintaining strong communication with existing customers and ensuring a high level of service. Among her proudest professional achievements is earning the trust and loyalty of clients to such an extent that many chose to continue banking with her after she transitioned to a new institution.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Hummel is registered with the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS)# 1166427. She is also a commissioned Notary Public in the State of Texas. Beyond her professional responsibilities, she remains actively involved in community service, financial education initiatives, and organizations such as Operation Homefront and Texas Women in Business San Antonio, reflecting her belief that lasting success is built on genuine relationships, trust, and service to others.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Barbara
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my faith, my honesty, and my integrity. First and foremost, it's God - I go to Him for everything, I pray over everything I do. God is my Lord and my Savior, and He is the center of my life. I am guided by Him in both my career and my personal life. I try to follow what Jesus says, to love everybody, because God is love. I praise Him in the storm and I praise Him in the good times. Beyond my faith, it's about being honest and having integrity in everything I do. That's what has carried me through my 30-plus years in banking and helped me build the kind of relationships where people want to follow me from one position to the next.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received is to do business with honesty, integrity, loyalty and service. If you follow these rules, lasting relationships will form that will follow you throughout your career. Also don’t be on time, be early. If you are 5 minutes early you are late. To this day, I am always 10-15 minutes early for every appointment or meeting.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering banking is to be honest. The energy that you put out is the energy that you bring back. Somebody once said to me, be careful of the shadows that you cast. If you cast a negative shadow, you get negative people around you. If you cast a positive shadow, the people around you are positive. That's something I've carried with me throughout my career, and it's made all the difference in building the kind of relationships that have allowed me to succeed in this industry.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The banking sector currently faces a defining dual challenge: a volatile macroeconomic landscape and an oversaturated market. Navigating this environment requires a profound shift in perspective—moving away from transactional metrics and focusing heavily on relationship-driven leadership.
Today’s high-interest-rate environment has created simultaneous friction on both sides of the balance sheet. On the asset side, elevated borrowing costs have suppressed consumer and commercial appetite for new debt, making loan generation an uphill battle. On the liability side, banks face intense pressure to raise deposit yields to prevent capital from migrating to high-yield alternatives.
Because financial institutions rely fundamentally on net interest income and fee structures to thrive, this environment severely compresses margins. Simply put, when it is difficult to bring in new accounts and equally challenging to originate loans, traditional growth strategies stall.
Beyond economic pressures, the financial services landscape remains fiercely competitive. With countless institutions offering identical, heavily commoditized products, competing strictly on interest rates is an unsustainable race to the bottom. To truly stand out, leaders must redefine how their institutions deliver value.
The ultimate differentiator in a crowded market is not a product—it is people. By championing exceptional service and dedicating energy to authentic relationship-building, institutions can cultivate deep organizational trust. When clients trust their banker, they transition from price-sensitive consumers to loyal partners. In an era of economic uncertainty, building that human connection is not just a soft skill; it is the ultimate strategy for resilient growth.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
First and foremost, God is the most important value in my work and personal life. God is my Lord and my Savior, and He is the center of my life. I go to Him for everything, I pray over everything I do. I am guided by Him in my career and my personal life. I try to follow what Jesus says, to love everybody, because God is love. I praise Him in the storm, I praise Him in the good times. My faith is what guides every decision I make and every relationship I build.
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