HOUSTON, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA
Compass announced today that it has signed a multi-year agreement
to become an official corporate partner of the Houston Rockets.
BBVA Compass has 81 banking centers in the "Clutch City" and ranks
as the fifth largest bank in the Houston metropolitan area based on deposit
market share. With operations throughout seven states in the
Sunbelt Region, BBVA Compass ranks among the top-20 largest
financial institutions in the United
States and the fourth largest bank in Texas.
As part of the agreement, BBVA Compass will be the presenting
sponsor of www.toyotacentertix.com. The parties will also design
and develop a new booth at Toyota Center called the Season Ticket
Holder Home Court presented by BBVA Compass, giving fans the
opportunity to sign up for the Rockets affinity card. In addition,
BBVA Compass will be the presenting partner of the Financial
Literacy Program, the Rockets Spanish website, as well as the
Rockets Partner Forum – a series of business networking events.
"As a proud member of the local Houston community, we are very pleased to be
partnering with the Houston Rockets, an organization that provides
its fans with a customer-friendly experience and shares our passion
for being a strong community partner," said BBVA U.S. Country
Manager and President and CEO of BBVA Compass Manolo Sanchez. "The
Houston community is passionate
about sports so BBVA Compass wants to provide its basketball fans
an opportunity to participate in what they love."
"We are very excited to enter into this partnership with BBVA
Compass," said Rockets and Clutch City Sports & Entertainment
CEO Tad Brown. "BBVA Compass aligns
itself so well with our organization's goal of providing
championship-caliber experiences to our customers. They have also
shown a great commitment in improving local communities, which is
paramount to our Owner Leslie
Alexander and our team."
Working together in the community, the Rockets and BBVA Compass
will promote social accountability with a Financial Literacy
Program at select area high schools. The Rockets and BBVA Compass
will team up to teach local high school students the importance of
financial responsibility through a community outreach program
featuring in-school events. The program will take business lessons
learned in the world of sports and apply them to everyday life
situations, such as financial discipline, budgeting and balancing a
checkbook. One lucky student from each participating school will
also have the opportunity to spend a "day-in-the-life" of a member
of the Rockets organization.
BBVA Compass will also have fan-friendly promotions and
sweepstakes during the Rockets season, including one that will give
a small business the chance to become the "Official BBVA Small
Business Partner of the Houston Rockets" for one season.
BBVA Compass is the U.S. subsidiary of BBVA, a global financial
services group with operations in more than 30 countries. In
October 2010, BBVA signed a
multi-year marketing partnership whereby it is the Official Bank of
the NBA, the Women's National Basketball Association and the NBA
Development League in the United
States, Spain and
Puerto Rico.
About BBVA Group
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that
operates more than 716 branches, including 380 in Texas, 93 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the
top-20 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share
and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (3rd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (5th). BBVA Compass has been
recognized as one of the nation's leading Small Business
Administration (SBA) lenders, earning "Lender of the Year" honors
in 2009 and 2010. Additional information concerning BBVA Compass
can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.
BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a
financial services group with approximately $770 billion in total assets, 48 million clients,
7,400 branches and approximately 109,000 employees in more than 30
countries. BBVA ranks among the top-20 largest financial
institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 21st
in Global Finance magazine's list of the "World's 50 Safest
Banks" for 2010. BBVA provides its customers around the world with
a full range of financial services, including commercial and
wholesale banking, retail banking services, consumer loans,
mortgages, credit cards, securities brokerage, wealth management,
pension plan management and insurance. The BBVA Group maintains a
leadership position in Spain,
Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of
the United States, as well as
operations in China, France, Germany, Hong
Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. More information about the
BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.
About the Rockets
Established before the 1967-68 NBA season, the Rockets began
calling Houston home prior to the
1971-72 season. The 2011-12 campaign will mark the 45th season of
Rockets basketball. Under the ownership of Leslie Alexander, the Rockets brought
Houston its first two major
professional sports titles by winning back-to-back NBA Finals in
1993-94 and 1994-95. Off the court, the Rockets franchise has set
the standard for community involvement. More information about the
Rockets can be found at www.rockets.com.
Editor's Note:
BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank. Compass Bank,
member FDIC.
SOURCE BBVA Compass