Norton Rose Fulbright advises Equity Bancshares in US$122.8 million acquisition of Frontier Holdings

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright advised Equity Bancshares, Inc. (Equity), the Wichita-based holding company of Equity Bank, in its US$122.8 million merger agreement with Frontier Holdings, LLC (Frontier), the parent company of Frontier Bank in Omaha, Nebraska. The deal marks Equity’s entrance into the state as part of its strategic regional expansion.

Equity’s acquisition of Frontier will add seven locations to its franchise, which currently has more than 80 banks across Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. After completion of the merger, Equity will have US$7.9 billion in total assets.

The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and closing conditions. This combination represents Equity’s 26^th strategic transaction since the company’s founding in 2002, including 14 whole-bank acquisitions since its 2015 initial public offering.

Norton Rose Fulbright’s deal team was led by Mike Keeley and included Ted Tooley, Alex Clark, Todd Schroeder (Dallas) and Hersh Verma (Houston).