S&P Global Market Intelligence presents a weekly news summary of executive management and board chair-level changes in the bank and thrift industry.
Dec. 13
Robert Sarver, the chairman and CEO of Phoenix-based Western Alliance Bancorp., will transition to executive chairman in the first quarter of 2018.
In connection with this, President Kenneth Vecchione was appointed CEO. Two executives took on additional roles — COO James Haught as president and CFO Dale Gibbons as vice chairman.
The appointments take effect in April 1, 2018.
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Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial Corp. named John Turner Jr. president of the company and unit Regions Bank.
Turner is the current head of the company's corporate banking group. He replaces O.B. Grayson Hall Jr., who will remain chairman and CEO.
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Cleveland-based KeyCorp tapped Mark Midkiff to replace Chief Risk Officer Bill Hartmann when the latter retires in 2018.
Midkiff, who previously served as deputy chief credit officer of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based BB&T Corp., will join KeyCorp on Jan. 22, 2018. Midkiff and Hartmann will work together for the first half of 2018.
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Wakefield, Mass.-based Savings Bank named Michael Barrett chairman and Mark Simeola vice chairman, according to wakefield.wickedlocal.com.
Barrett, formerly the vice chairman, replaced John Spinello, who retired. Simeola has been associated with the law firm Simeola and Simeola PC.
Savings Bank is a unit of Wakefield Bancorp Inc. Wakefield Bancorp MHC is the ultimate parent.
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Dec. 12
Richard Walker was elected chairman of Franklin Savings Bank, the Daily Bulldog reported. He replaces William Bernard, who is retiring.
The Farmington, Maine-based bank is a unit of FSB Bancorp MHC.
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Khalid Acheckzai succeeded Deborah Meekins as CEO of Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Poppy Bank, The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat reported.
Acheckzai previously served as executive vice president, COO and CFO of the First Community Holdings unit. Meekins "will be leaving the bank to take some time off."
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CAB Financial Corp. named John Kimberly CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2018, to succeed John Poole, who is retiring.
Kimberly is currently the president of the Spartanburg, S.C.-based company as well as the president and CEO of unit Carolina Alliance Bank. Poole will remain on the company's board and stay on through June 2019 as a consultant to management.
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Jenn LaClair on Dec. 18 will take on the title of CFO designate at Detroit-based Ally Financial Inc. She will replace Chris Halmy, who is retiring March 1, 2018.
LaClair previously served as head of the business banking division of Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc.
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Citigroup Inc. named Catherine Mann global chief economist, replacing Willem Buiter.
Mann, who previously served as chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will join Citi Research in February 2018. Buiter will become Citi's special economic adviser.
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Dec. 11
Aberdeen, Wash.-based Pacific Financial Corp. appointed Edward Eng executive vice president, chief administrative officer and enterprise risk officer.
He will replace Tom Cooke, who is retiring in mid-February 2018 as executive vice president and COO.
Eng recently served at Oak Harbor, Wash.-based Whidbey Island Bank as chief administrative officer.
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Dec. 8
John Gembara, chairman, president and CEO of Chicago-based Washington Bancshares Inc., has died.
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Kingston, N.Y.-based Rondout Savings Bank appointed COO Cheryl Bowers as president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2018, the Hudson Valleys News Network reported.
She will replace James Davenport, who is retiring by the end of 2017.
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Dec. 7
Rancho Cordova, Calif.-based American River Bank, a unit of American River Bankshares, named Dennis Raymond executive vice president and chief lending officer.
Raymond previously served Lodi-based Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California as senior vice president and market manager.
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Travis Liebig will become the CEO of Town and Country, Mo.-based St. Louis Bank after the deal between the bank and an investor group closes. Mark Muesenfechter, the current CEO of the St. Louis Bancshares Inc. unit, will then become CFO.
Liebig, who leads the investor group, previously served as St. Louis market president of Pine Bluff, Ark.-based Simmons First National Corp. unit Simmons Bank.
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Harrisburg, Pa.-based Centric Financial Corp. and Centric Bank appointed Clair Finkenbinder III executive vice president, chief information officer and director of operations, effective Dec. 18.
Finkenbinder previously served as systems engineer director for Dell EMC Corp.'s midmarket east division.
