In Brief: Chairman of Beverly Hills' 1st Charter Retires

The chairman and another director of $123 million- asset First Charter Bank retired March 26 after 14 years on the board.

Former chairman Nathan Golden and director Herbert D. Sturman were founding directors of the bank, established 14 years ago. But the bank struggled to survive several tumultuous years in the early 1990s.

First Charter reported losses through the third quarter of 1996 before battling back into the black in the fourth quarter. Regulators also ordered the bank to raise its capital levels last year, and the bank raised $5 million from a September sale of preferred stock. The bank's Tier 1 leverage capital ratio is 14.85%.

Former president and chief executive officer Peter L. Bustetter, who led the bank during its recovery, was elected chairman to succeed Mr. Golden. The board appointed Dr. Stuart Holden and Eugene J. Kaufman as directors.

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