Hilltop Holdings Inc (HTH)

[Enterprising Investor]

Some clarification (may require a scorecard).

HTH should be considered a holding company, much like BRK.

It had approximately $600 million aggregate available cash and cash equivalents for acquisitions at 12/31/10. Potential targets are evaluated from across all industries - not just banking.

HTH originally received its shelf charter in November 2008. Due to the length of time that has passed since the original application and various other changes, the OCC requested that a full, updated application be re-filed. HTH withdrew the original shelf charter application and re-filed an application that reflects updates and other changes made since the original application. A "shelf charter" would valuable.

I would expect that the focus would remain in California. I read an article in 2008 that verified it as Ford's target area (requires time to locate). Geographical reach could include a bank with branches across neighboring state lines (Nevada, Arizona and Oregon).