The Banks Group

What The Banks Group does

The Banks Group, founded in 1982 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, is a privately held environmental data and regulatory consulting firm operating through two wholly-owned subsidiaries: Banks Environmental Data, Inc. and Banks Oil & Gas Consulting, Inc. The company compiles state and federal environmental, oil & gas, water well, and lien databases into unified data products, and produces custom GIS maps for regulatory hearings, court cases, and asset development. Its services span Phase I ASTM E 1527-21 compliant radius database reports, environmental lien searches dating to 1985, water well inventories, historical aerial photography and USGS topographic map packages, oil & gas well and pipeline searches, Texas Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) application research, and city directory searches.

Underlying technology centers on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping and data visualization, proprietary aggregation of state and federal environmental records, and a recently relaunched customer platform called EnvPortal (2025) that delivers secure ordering, tracking, and collaboration with Amazon OAuth-based authentication. The firm also offers custom API services for high-volume power users requiring raw data access.

The business model combines one-time per-report license fees (e.g., $25 add-on for physical settings), EnvPortal subscription access, custom API licensing, and project-based professional services for oil & gas regulatory consulting and permitting. GTM is sales-led via direct phone, email, and a self-serve portal, targeting environmental consultants, oil & gas companies (Fortune 500 down to small independents), real estate and legal professionals, and renewable energy developers across a nationwide U.S. footprint. The company is founder-led by CEO JB Bleckley (since 1982) and VP Joe Gonzalez (since 2006), with a headcount of 11–50 employees.

Name

The Banks Group

Legal name

Banks Environmental Data, Inc.

Website

https://banksinfo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Banks Group, founded in 1982 and based in Austin, Texas, provides regulatory environmental data reports, oil & gas permitting consulting, and custom GIS mapping services to environmental consultants, oil & gas companies, legal, real estate, and renewable energy clients across the United States through its EnvPortal platform and custom API offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Environmental Data Reports: One-time purchase of environmental data reports including Phase I ASTM database searches, water well inventories, oil & gas well reports, historical aerial packages, topographic maps, city directory searches, and environmental lien searches.
2. EnvPortal Subscription: Online portal subscription for ordering, tracking, and collaboration across environmental data services with upgraded security features.
3. Custom API Services: Tailored API services for large orderers or clients needing raw data access, custom-built to client specifications.
4. Oil & Gas Consulting: Regulatory consulting and permitting services at the Railroad Commission and other state government agencies for due diligence and asset development.
5. Custom GIS Mapping: Custom map products including oil & gas hearing exhibits, environmental hearing maps, regional maps, whiteboard maps, and ranch/hunting lease maps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Banks Group delivers regulatory environmental data reports, custom GIS mapping, and oil & gas consulting services to businesses nationwide. Its product portfolio includes Phase I ASTM database searches, water well inventories, oil and gas well/pipeline reports, environmental lien searches, historical aerial photography, USGS topographic maps, city directory searches, Texas Municipal Setting Designation research, and custom maps. Orders are fulfilled via direct phone/email sales and the proprietary EnvPortal online platform, with custom API delivery available for high-volume clients.

Product overview

The Banks Group is a diversified environmental data and consulting firm founded in 1982, offering a portfolio of regulatory research and GIS mapping services through two divisions: Banks Environmental Data, Inc. and Banks Oil & Gas Consulting, Inc. The core offerings include environmental lien searches, historical aerial packages, USGS topographic maps, Phase I ASTM database searches, oil and gas well/pipeline searches, water well inventory reports, Texas MSD packages, city directory searches, and custom GIS mapping services. These products serve the oil and gas, environmental, real estate, legal, industrial, and renewable energy sectors for due diligence and regulatory compliance purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EnvPortal: Online portal for ordering, tracking, and collaboration across environmental data services with upgraded security using Amazon's OAuth services.

Products and services

• Environmental Lien Search Nationwide search for environmental liens filed against properties using county-level abstract researchers, covering liens filed from 1985 to present. Used by environmental consultants, lenders, and legal professionals for property due diligence.
• Historical Aerial Packages Historical aerial photograph packages for Phase I environmental site assessments, with nationwide coverage, consistent quality, GIS-ready Geo-Tiff format, and same-day service in many regions.
• Historical USGS Topographic Maps Historical topographic map packages showing detailed comparisons of land changes over 20, 50, or 100+ years, drawing from one of the largest nationwide USGS historical map collections in the United States.
• Phase I ASTM Database (Radius) Search ASTM E 1527-21 compliant radius database reports for Phase I Environmental Site Assessment due diligence, with flexible target area search, integrated hyperlinks, and enhanced mapping overlays.
• Oil & Gas Well and Pipeline Search Comprehensive oil and gas well reports compiled from state agency databases covering every state with recorded oil drilling or production, including pipeline location and operator information.
• Water Well Inventory and Database Search Water well database reports compiled from state and federal sources, available nationwide with enhanced Texas reporting including historical research from the TCEQ Central File Room.
• Texas Municipal Setting Designation (MSD) Package Texas MSD application research package including 5-mile and half-mile water well reports, municipal boundaries map, and GIS shapefiles, led by Banks since the Texas Legislature authorized the MSD designation in 2003.
• Custom GIS Mapping Custom GIS mapping services including oil and gas hearing exhibits, environmental review maps, regional maps, whiteboard maps, and ranch and hunting lease maps produced to high data-fidelity standards for regulatory hearings and court cases.
• City Directory Search Historical street directory search service compliant with ASTM E 1527-21 standards, dating from the early 1800s, providing occupancy history using reverse phone directory methodology, with chain of title reports also available.
• Oil & Gas Consulting Services Railroad Commission and state government consulting services including research, permitting, and regulatory support for oil and gas operations and asset development.
• EnvPortal Online Platform Proprietary secure online portal for ordering, tracking, and collaboration across all Banks environmental data services, featuring Amazon OAuth authentication and self-service access.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-day service for many regions on historical aerial packages
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ERIS (Environmental Risk Information Services): ERIS is a leading North American provider of environmental database reports and historical research used in Phase I Environmental Site Assessments. It is the closest direct competitor to The Banks Group's Phase I ASTM database search, historical aerial, and city directory offerings, serving the same environmental consulting and legal due diligence buyer base.
• Lightbox (formerly EDR / Environmental Data Resources): Lightbox (which acquired EDR, the historical market leader in environmental risk data) provides nationwide environmental data reports, historical aerials, and property due diligence intelligence. It competes head-to-head with The Banks Group in environmental database reports and is the scale incumbent against which The Banks Group's curated offerings are positioned.
• Trinity Consultants: Trinity Consultants provides environmental, health, safety, and regulatory consulting with a strong focus on air quality, permitting, and EHS compliance for industrial and oil & gas clients. It overlaps directly with The Banks Group's regulatory permitting support at agencies such as the Texas Railroad Commission and TCEQ.
• Historical Information Gatherers (HIG): HIG specializes in historical city directory research, chain of title reports, and historical aerial photography used in Phase I ESA workflows. It directly mirrors The Banks Group's city directory search and historical aerial products and serves the same ASTM-compliant environmental due diligence market.

Broad incumbents

• First American Proximity (First American Financial): First American offers environmental risk data and property due diligence products through its Proximity/ DataTree suite as part of a much broader title insurance and real estate data portfolio. It competes with The Banks Group in environmental data and lien search but operates at significantly greater scale and within a diversified financial services platform.
• AECOM: AECOM is a global engineering, environmental, and construction services firm with a large environmental consulting practice serving oil & gas, industrial, and public-sector clients. It overlaps with The Banks Group in environmental site assessment and oil & gas regulatory work, but at vastly greater scale and across a much broader service portfolio.
• Tetra Tech: Tetra Tech is a large consulting and engineering firm with deep environmental, water resources, and energy practice areas. It serves many of the same oil & gas, industrial, and government clients as The Banks Group, particularly in environmental site assessment, permitting, and remediation.
• GHD: GHD is a global professional services firm with significant environmental, water, and energy consulting practices serving oil & gas, mining, and infrastructure clients. It competes broadly with The Banks Group in environmental due diligence, water well investigations, and oil & gas regulatory support, but at materially greater scale and geographic reach.
• Terracon Consultants: Terracon is a large national environmental, geotechnical, and facilities consulting firm that performs Phase I ESAs, subsurface investigations, and compliance work. It is a broad incumbent competitor to The Banks Group for environmental consulting buyers across the United States.

Others

• Esri: Esri is the dominant provider of GIS software (ArcGIS) underpinning custom mapping workflows. While not a direct competitor, Esri's platform is the technology foundation The Banks Group relies on for its custom GIS mapping and hearing exhibit services, making it an important enabling technology peer.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/banksenvdata
• Facebookfacebook.com/Banks-Environmental-Data-229573407068990
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-banks-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Banks Group