Sunflower Financial, Inc. signed a definitive agreement to acquire First Western Financial, Inc. from Crawley Ventures and others in stock on September 23, 2014. The combined bank will be headquartered in Denver. Mollie Hale Carter, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sunflower, will serve as Executive Chairman of the holding company. Scott Wylie, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Western, will be the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the combined bank and investment management subsidiary, as well as Chief Executive Officer and President of the holding company.

The combined Board of Directors will be made up of select legacy Sunflower Directors, select legacy First Western Directors, and new Directors appropriate for the new institution's strategic focus and direction. The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of both Sunflower and First Western and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and other customary conditions. The transaction was approved by Colorado Division of Banking on January 15, 2015.

Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Inc. acted as a financial advisor to Sunflower Financial, Inc. and First Western Financial, Inc. Raymond James Financial, Inc. provided a fairness opinion to First Western, Nelson Mullins Riley Scarborough, LLP acted as a legal advisor to Sunflower Financial, Inc. and Hogan Lovells acted as a legal advisor to First Western Financial, Inc.