**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**RULE 13a-14(a) CERTIFICATION**

STATE NATIONAL BANCSHARES, INC.

a Texas corporation

 

CERTIFICATION OF CHIEFEXECUTIVE OFFICER

 

I, Tom C. Nichols, ChiefExecutive Officer of State National Bancshares, Inc., do hereby certifythat:

 

(1)          I have reviewed thisQuarterly Report on Form 10-Q of State National Bancshares, Inc. forthe quarter ended September 30, 2005;

 

(2)          Based on my knowledge,this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit tostate a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect to the periods covered by this report;

 

(3)          Based on my knowledge,the financial statements, and other financial information included in thisreport, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, theperiods presented in this report;

 

(4)          The registrant’s othercertifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintainingdisclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

 

(a)          Designed such disclosurecontrols and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures tobe designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relatingto the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to usby others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this reportis being prepared;

 

(b)         [Reserved}

 

(c)          Evaluated theeffectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures andpresented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the periods covered bythis report based on such evaluation; and

 

(d)         Disclosed in this reportany change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting thatoccurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materiallyaffected, or is reasonable likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internalcontrol over financial reporting; and

 

(5)          The registrant’s othercertifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation ofinternal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and theaudit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performingthe equivalent functions):

 

(a)          All significantdeficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controlover financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect theregistrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

(b)         Any fraud, whether or notmaterial, that involves management or other employees who have a significantrole in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Dated: November 14,  2005 | By:    | /s/ Tom C. Nichols                   |   |
|--------------------------------|--------|--------------------------------------|--------|
|                           |   |   Tom C.  Nichols          |
|                           |   |   Chief  Executive Officer |

 

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