Patrick F. Busch, executive vice president and chief lending officer of HBT Financial and president and chief lending officer of Heartland Bank and Trust Company, will step down from those roles on Dec. 31.

Busch will remain with Heartland Bank, serving in the newly created position of vice chairman and continuing to be involved in business development. Busch will also remain a member of the boards of directors of both HBT Financial and Heartland Bank.

1. Lance Carter, president and chief operating officer of HBT Financial and chief operating officer of Heartland Bank, will assume the additional title of president of Heartland Bank, effective Jan. 1. Lawrence J. Horvath, currently executive vice president and regional senior lending manager of Heartland Bank, will become executive vice president and chief lending officer of HBT Financial and Heartland Bank on Jan. 1.

“Pat Busch has been an integral part of the success of the company and Heartland Bank since 1995,” Fred L. Drake, chairman and CEO of HBT Financial, which is the holding company of Heartland Bank, said. “On behalf of the entire company, I would like to thank him for the valuable role he’s played in the significant growth of the company and for his leadership in helping create the strong lending culture that has served as the foundation of our franchise. In his new role as vice chairman, Pat will continue to develop strong commercial lending relationships in our northern Illinois markets. Larry Horvath will be a strong successor to Pat as our new chief lending officer and will carry on the conservative credit culture that has resulted in the company being a high performing bank.”

Horvath joined Heartland Bank in 2010 and currently oversees commercial lending for all Heartland Bank markets outside Cook County, IL, and the Chicago suburban area, as well as treasury management services. Horvath’s 37 years of banking experience include commercial lending and credit review, mergers and acquisitions, market leadership and serving as president and CEO of a community bank in Bloomington, IL. He is active in the Bloomington, IL, community, serving on boards of various local organizations. In addition, he currently serves on the board of the Illinois Bankers Association, is on the loan committee for the largest community development corporation in the state and is also Heartland Bank’s representative serving on the board for the Illinois Real Estate Title Center.