First Union Names a New Head For Retail, Commercial Services

lead its General Bank, which includes retail and commercial services along the East Coast from Connecticut to Florida.

Mr. Jenkins, 55, previously headed First Union's retail and commercial banking in Florida and Georgia. The promotion is part of the Charlotte, N.C., banking company's shake-up that began with the retirement of president John Georgius, announced last month. Mr. Georgius had been in charge of First Union's state banks.

He will be succeeded at yearend by G. Kennedy Thompson, who will continue to oversee First Union's profitable capital markets and capital management areas. Mr. Jenkins, the new head of the General Bank, will report to Thompson.

First Union has had problems digesting last year's acquisitions of CoreStates Financial Corp. and Money Store Inc. Profits for the $230 billion-asset banking company fell 1% from a year earlier in the second quarter, to $873 million.

Analysts do not see Jenkins' promotion as a major move for the bank. "This is not an earth-shattering change,'' said Michael Ancell, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co. in St. Louis. "They obviously had to make some changes due to John Georgius' retirement. This looks like a status-quo appointment."

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