Thomas Longe
HOME BANCSHARESAbout Thomas J. Longe
Independent director of Home BancShares, Inc. since 2014; age 62. President and CEO of The Trianon Companies (real estate acquisition, development, management, financing). Former Chairman, CEO and President of TIB Financial Corporation, a publicly traded Florida bank holding company with ~$1.8B in assets. Education: BA in Economics (Albion College) and MBA (University of Detroit). Serves on Audit & Risk and Nominating & Corporate Governance committees.
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIB Financial Corporation (public bank) | Chairman, CEO & President | — | Led a publicly traded bank holding company (~$1.8B assets) |
| Bank One, Columbus, N.A. | Loan Officer & Credit Analyst | — | Early credit and lending experience |
| Comerica Bank | Loan Officer & Credit Analyst | — | Early credit and lending experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trianon Companies | President & CEO | Current | Real estate acquisition, development, management, financing |
Board Governance
| Committee | Role | 2024 Meetings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit & Risk Committee | Member | 5 | Committee wholly independent; members financially literate; “audit committee financial expert” attributes present among chairs |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee | Member | 1 | Committee wholly independent; reviews related-party transactions |
- Independence: Board identifies Longe as independent under NYSE rules; all members of Audit, Compensation, and Nominating committees are independent.
- Attendance: In 2024, Board held 4 regular and 2 special meetings; each current Board member participated in at least 75% of aggregate Board and committee meetings; all attended the Annual Meeting.
- Board leadership: Chairman/CEO combined; independent Vice Chairman (Jack E. Engelkes) leads executive sessions of independent directors.
- Director since 2014 (tenure detail).
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Fees Earned (Cash) | Stock Awards (Grant-date FV) | Option Awards (Grant-date FV) | All Other (incl. RSU dividends) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $187,725 | $73,830 | $0 | $4,500 | $266,055 |
| 2023 | $189,800 | $67,290 | $0 | $4,320 | $261,410 |
- Director fee schedule (2024): Annual cash retainer $14,000; Audit Chair +$2,500; per-meeting fees: Board $5,000 ($7,500 Chair), Compensation $1,000–$1,500 ($2,000–$3,000 Chair), Audit $750 ($1,500 Chair), Asset/Liability $750, Nominating $500 ($1,000 Chair).
Performance Compensation
| Component | Detail | Vesting / Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Annual RSU grant (directors) | 3,000 restricted shares granted Jan 19, 2024 at $24.61 FV per share | Vests in three equal annual installments beginning Jan 19, 2025 (time-based; no performance metrics disclosed for directors) |
| Stock options (directors) | No new option awards disclosed for 2024 | Outstanding options exist for some directors; see ownership section (Longe 10,000 options outstanding) |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Public Company? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed for Longe in the proxy biography. |
- Related-party transactions oversight: Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee reviews and approves related-party transactions; banking relationships with directors occur at market terms and comply with Regulation O.
- Company repurchased shares from other directors in 2023–2024; no such transaction disclosed for Longe.
Expertise & Qualifications
- Banking leadership and public-company management (former CEO/Chair of TIB Financial).
- Real estate development and financing expertise (The Trianon Companies).
- Credit and lending foundations (Bank One; Comerica).
- Geographic familiarity with South Florida and Florida Keys markets.
Equity Ownership
| As of | Beneficial Ownership (shares) | % of Shares Outstanding | Breakdown / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2025 | 46,500 | <1% | Includes 9,500 shares in IRA and 6,000 restricted shares; also includes 10,000 shares underlying options exercisable or vesting within 60 days. No pledging disclosed for Longe in footnotes. |
- Restricted shares/Options outstanding (12/31/2024): 6,000 restricted shares; 10,000 options.
Governance Assessment
- Positives: Independent director with deep banking and real estate credentials; sits on Audit & Risk and Nominating & Corporate Governance (key oversight) committees; Board committee independence and financial literacy affirmed; attendance thresholds met; director equity grants and personal holdings support alignment.
- Potential conflicts: Operates real estate businesses while Company is a lender; however, related-party transactions are reviewed by the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee and insider banking relationships are at market terms under Regulation O; no specific Longe-related transactions disclosed.
- Structural consideration: Combined Chair/CEO at holding company offset by independent Vice Chairman leading executive sessions; separate CEO at bank subsidiary aids oversight.
- Shareholder sentiment: Say-on-pay approval for executives was 93.1% at 2024 meeting—suggests broad support for compensation governance (context indicator).
RED FLAGS
- None disclosed specific to Longe: no Section 16 filing delinquencies, no pledging, no disclosed related-party transactions; option awards not granted in 2024 to directors; RSUs are time-based.