Hibernia Promotes 2 in Ongoing Reorganization

Hibernia Corp. promoted two officers to senior executive vice president this week, continuing an executive reorganization that began two years ago.

Scott P. Howard, 48, formerly executive vice president of corporate and international products, was given control over all commercial banking at New Orleans-based Hibernia. He is in charge of large corporate, international, treasury management, corporate finance, energy/maritime, commercial real estate, special assets, and private equity.

Richard G. Wright, 46, was promoted to chief credit officer, a job that had been vacant since July 1994. Mr. Wright had already been handling the responsibilities involved; he will continue to report directly to president and chief executive Stephen A. Hansel.

The promotions continue a reorganization that began in July 1994, when the company switched from a straight line-of-business reporting structure to one that combined line-of-business for product development with regional marketing. Last August, Hibernia consolidated its four regions into three and named as regional directors J. Herbert Boydstun (south central/northeast), E.R. "Bo" Campbell (northwest), and Robert W. Close (southeast and Greater New Orleans).

Mr. Howard will still report to Mr. Close, who has product support responsibility for all three regions. "To some extent, this is continuing to do what we've been doing, with even more effective integration of various products that are provided to our commercial customers," Mr. Howard said.

He added that he expected loan growth in Louisiana to "probably slow a little bit" this year from the robust pace set in 1995, when commercial loan outstandings increased 17%, to $2.3 billion.

"At this point in the cycle, you need to be prepared for the possibility of reduced aggregate demand," Mr. Howard said.

Mr. Howard joined Hibernia in 1992 following a stint with J.P. Morgan & Co. He earned a master's degree in economics and regional planning in 1972 from Sussex University in England after graduating from Yale University.

Mr. Wright spent seven years with Bank Texas, Dallas, rising to senior vice president. He joined Hibernia's former Texas bank in 1990, and moved to New Orleans two years later to head the bank's credit division. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma and earned a master's of business administration from The Citadel.

Hibernia, with $7.4 billion of assets, operates 160 branches in Louisiana.

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