MEDIA RELEASE
Contact: Sarah Warren, Argent Financial Group, Inc.
swarren@argentfinancial.com | 318.251.5812
WILMINGTON, North Carolina, Mar. 25, 2019 – Argent Financial Group today announced that it has expanded Argent Trust Company’s funeral and cemetery operation with the opening of a new office in Wilmington and the addition of three new team members.
Joining Argent Trust are Justin Wilson as senior vice president and legal counsel and Tiffany Farwell and Jason Velie, who will both serve as trust officers. All three will be based in Wilmington and report to Steve Jackson, senior vice president of the funeral and cemetery division. All four Argent team members previously worked in Wilmington at Live Oak Bank’s pre-need funeral trust business, which Argent purchased in October 2018.
Jason Velie
Tiffany Farwell
Justin Wilson, J.D.
The new office is located at 2602 Iron Gate Drive, Suite 202, and is the company’s second office in North Carolina. Argent Financial Group has offices in 30 markets nationally.
“Our expansion to Wilmington is another step forward in building our funeral and cemetery business and serving our clients,” said Argent Trust Senior Vice President of Institutional Services Mark Milton, who oversees the funeral and cemetery division. “Our team, led by Steve Jackson, has tremendous market expertise and experience, so this is the perfect opportunity for Argent to bring our brand of customer-centric service to a new and growing market.”
“I am excited to be reunited with Justin, Tiffany and Jason,” said Jackson. “Together with Senior Vice President Jim Breaux, we started and built the Live Oak funeral and cemetery division into a thriving and growing business. This team’s dedication to serving the best interests of our clients is second to none and I look forward to continuing to build upon the legacy of Argent Trust.”
Wilson has more than 15 years of trust and banking experience and will oversee all legal matters for the funeral and cemetery division. Before joining Argent Trust, he was senior vice president and senior legal counsel at Live Oak Bank in Wilmington. Before that, he was vice president and legal counsel at Regions Bank and title attorney at First American Title Insurance Company. Wilson earned his law degree from South Texas College of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University.
Farwell, who will oversee daily trust account activity, has 12 years of banking and trust experience. Before joining Argent Trust, she was trust operations supervisor at Live Oak Bank. Before that, she was a client services specialist in the trust department at First Citizens Bank & Trust Company. Farwell, who is a certified trust financial advisor, earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Velie has three years of trust and wealth management experience and will be responsible for managing relationships with various funeral and cemetery trust clients. Before joining Argent Trust, he was a trust operations associate at Live Oak Bank. Velie earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
“Argent Trust has built an excellent team of experienced and proven trust professionals in the funeral and cemetery industry,” said Wilson. “I am delighted to continue our work and provide fiduciary-level service to our clients and build upon Argent’s legacy.”
“I have lived in Wilmington since 2005 and love this city so much that I plan to retire here,” said Farwell. “When Argent Trust purchased Live Oak Bank’s funeral and cemetery trust department, I jumped at the opportunity to continue working with my colleagues and serve our clients.”
“It is truly a best-case scenario to rejoin my colleagues so soon after Argent’s acquisition of Live Oak Bank’s funeral trust division,” said Velie. “This team has some of the hardest working and dedicated executives in this industry and I am honored to be part of a company that is making a difference in our clients’ lives.”
About Argent Financial Group
Argent Financial Group (AFG) is a leading independent fiduciary wealth management firm. Responsible for more than $19 billion in client assets, AFG provides individuals, families, institutions and businesses with a broad range of wealth management services including trust administration and related services, investment management, family office services, retirement plan and charitable organization administration, mineral (oil and gas) management, and financial, retirement and estate planning. For more information, visit www.argentcares.com.
