Altabank
Russ Carnahan has been promoted to the Branch Manager in Washington County. Russ has been at Altabank for 11 years and has been in banking since 2001, previously with Sunfirst Bank and Town & Country Bank.
Mark Southam is moving from Relationship Banker to Loan Specialist at the Orem branch. Mark has been with Altabank for under a year and is also studying Finance at Utah Valley University.
Lica Strasner is moving from a Loan Specialist to Credit Analyst at the Pleasant Grove branch. She has been with Altabank since December 2021.
Bank of Utah
President and CEO Doug DeFries has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31, 2022. The board of directors has announced that company veteran Branden Hansen will replace him as President of Bank of Utah, effective Jan. 1, 2023.
As president, Branden will set the vision and strategy of the bank and will oversee all aspects of the institution’s operations and drive the bank’s growth and business opportunities.
The board of directors also appointed Benjamin Browning as CEO, also effective Jan. 1, 2023. Ben will focus on the company’s culture and will work with new president, Branden Hansen to create strategic objectives for the bank. He will remain vice chair of the board of directors, helping to represent the Browning family, who founded Bank of Utah years ago.
Andrew “Andy” Cromwell has been hired as a Mortgage Loan Officer at Bank of Utah. He will be based out of the bank’s home loans office in the Logan City Center.
Central Bank
Scott Nicholls recently joined Central Bank as a Loan Officer in their American Fork Office. In his 21-year banking career, Nicholls has accumulated a wealth of experience that will benefit his customers in his new role.
Nate Carter has been promoted to IT Systems Manager of Central Bank. Carter has worked in the banking industry for
17 years, with almost a decade in bank information technology.
Troy Marsh has been appointed as Information Security Offer of Central Bank. Marsh has worked in banking technology for over 22 years.
D.L Evans
Morris Smith was recently appointed to Vice President Commercial Loan Officer at the South Ogden branch. He will be responsible for receiving, reviewing, evaluating, and underwriting commercial loan requests, and will also focus on business development and marketing of existing and prospective accounts.
Fred Pettersson is the Vice President Commercial Loan Officer at the Layton branch. In addition to his extensive industry experience, Fred is also a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School and has previously been an instructor for the Utah Bankers Association.
Sam Taylor is the Vice President Commercial Loan Officer for the Murray branch. Sam brings with him almost two decades of financial experience and is currently attending the Pacific Coast Banking School.
Laurie Criddle is the Operations Officer at D.L. Evans Bank’s newest branch in Layton. She will be responsible for directing and administering the operational efforts of the branch – training, directing, and supervising branch operations staff.
Elvia Daniels is the Operations Officer at the Logan branch. Elvia has been in banking for over 20 years; prior to joining D.L. Evans Bank, she was a branch manager at Zions Bank. She is responsible for directing and administering the operational efforts of the branch and oversees a full range of services to customers and prospective customers.
Maryann Byg is the Operations Officer at the Murray branch. Maryann has over 15 years of financial experience and will oversee operations and other members of her team while serving her customers.
FinWise Bank
Maria Montoya-Elder has been promoted to Vice President of Audit and Regulatory Exam Management for FinWise Bank. Maria has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Fraud Professional (CAFP).
Nelnet Bank
Ben Focht has joined Nelnet Bank as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Ben brings 20 years of Information Technology and Cyber Security experience to the team, including leading Vulnerability Operations, Penetration Testing, and Incident Response teams.
State Bank of Southern Utah
State Bank of Southern Utah is happy to announce the following additions to their lending team:
Cordelle Morris
Chief Marketing Officer
Cedar City
Andi Jensen
Business Development Officer
St. George
Cliff Hall
Business Development Officer
St. George
They are also happy to announce the following Cedar City promotions:
David Duncan
SVP, Chief Operations Officer
Jeremy Andrews
SVP, Area Lending Manager
Garrett Cottam
SVP, Group Lending Manager
Zions Bank
Zions Bank Names Two New Region Presidents
Mike Van Roosendaal has been promoted to president of Zions Bank’s Suburban Salt Lake Region, and Stephanie Sherrell has been named president of the bank’s Metro Salt Lake Region. Roosendaal has worked in the banking industry for 19 years, with 14 of those years at Zions Bank. He previously managed the bank’s Centralized Business Banking team. Sherrell has spent 13 of her 37-year banking career at Zions Bank. She most recently managed the Draper branch.
