Kansas City areaCLEVELAND, Feb 12, 2026, 07:37 EST
- KeyBank added a five-person family office and private capital team led by Ward Nixon, based in Overland Park, Kansas.
- The bank is pitching a single-coverage model that links capital markets, commercial banking and wealth advice for mid-sized companies.
- A recent investor note called the move incremental, with earnings still tied mainly to interest income and credit trends.
KeyBank has added a five-person family office and private capital team led by Ward Nixon, planting the group in Overland Park, Kansas as it tries to deepen ties with mid-sized U.S. companies and their owners. (KeyCorp Investor Relations)
Family offices — private firms that manage money for wealthy families — have become more active owners and lenders in the middle market, the band of companies that sit below large corporates but above small business. Private equity is part of that same ecosystem, often steering financing and deal flow.
KeyBank said the new team will work across what it calls integrated family office banking, pairing lending and cash management with capital markets services and wealth advisory, rather than splitting clients across separate groups.
“Family offices represent one of the most sophisticated and fastest-growing segments in middle market banking,” Key Commercial Bank president Ken Gavrity said. He added that clients want “a banking partner, not just a lender.” (Equipment Finance Advisor)
The bank said the team includes Andrew Hendricks as senior relationship manager, Chris Tallent as senior payments advisor, Judy Evans as senior commercial analyst and Adam Hazlett as associate portfolio manager. Nixon will report to Chris Doyle, who leads private capital strategy for Key Commercial Bank. (Family Wealth Report)
Nixon previously held the title of executive director of sponsor finance at CrossFirst Bank, a unit focused on backing acquisitions and growth at operating businesses sponsored by family office investors, a 2023 company release said. Sponsor finance is lending tied to an investment “sponsor,” such as a private equity firm or family office. (Business Wire)
KeyCorp, KeyBank’s parent, said it had about $184 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2025, and operates in 15 states through roughly 950 branches and about 1,200 ATMs. (PR Newswire)
In an investor commentary on KeyCorp, Simply Wall St said the new team looks “incremental rather than transformational” in the near term, arguing that the main drivers remain net interest income — the spread between what a bank earns on loans and pays on deposits — and credit quality. It also flagged return on equity, a profitability measure, as a continuing pressure point. (Simply Wall St)
The move drops KeyBank into a crowded lane. Big banks and regional lenders alike chase the same households and sponsors for deposits, loans, fee business and deal mandates, especially when ownership gets complicated and money sits in multiple pockets.
Still, a new team does not guarantee new clients. Deal activity can cool, credit losses can rise, and wealthy families often stick with existing advisers unless a bank proves it can handle everything from complex lending to day-to-day cash needs without friction.
