Lots of tech entrepreneurs who strike gold splurge on trophy homes. William Hockey bought a bank.
Northern California National Bank lacks the curb appeal of a mansion in Malibu or Marin—its sole branch abuts a sporting-goods store in a squat suburban strip mall in Chico, Calif. Even so, Mr. Hockey, a co-founder of the $13 billion financial-tech startup Plaid Inc., and his wife, Annie Hockey, plunked down about $50 million for NorCal last year, then gut-renovated its operating systems.
