FDIC Adds Eight to Community-Bank Advisory Group

Eight new members have joined the committee that advises the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on community-bank policy.

The eight new selections announced Tuesday will join seven bankers currently serving on the Advisory Committee on Community Banking, which was established in 2009 to give the FDIC advice on issues that affect community banks.

The eight new members are Cynthia Blankenship, vice chairman and chief operating officer at Bank of the West, Grapevine, Texas; Leonel Castillo, president and chief executive officer at American Bank of Commerce in Provo, Utah; Jane Haskin, president and CEO of First Bethany Bancorp in Bethany, Okla.; Mark Hesser, the president of Pinnacle Bank in Lincoln, Neb.; James Lundy, CEO of Western Alliance Bank in Phoenix; Kim Saunders, president and CEO at Mechanics & Farmers Bank in Durham, N.C.; David Seleski, president and CEO at Stonegate Bank, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Derek Williams, president and CEO at First Peoples Bank in Pine Mountain, Ga.

Committee members are selected by the FDIC,  and they are meant to represent  a diverse cross-section of community banks, the agency says.  All committee members serve two-year terms without compensation.

The committee has met three times in each of the past three years, and advised the FDIC on regulatory and compliance issues including examination procedures, lending practices and deposit insurance assessments.  The meetings are open to the public and can be watched online.

The eight new members will join seven bankers still serving their two-year terms: Robert Baronner Jr., president and CEO at Bank of Charles Town in West Virginia; Carolyn Flynn, president and CEO at Community Financial Services Bank in Benton, Ky.; Walter Grady, president and CEO at Seaway Bank & Trust in Chicago; Ann Marie Mehlum, president and CEO at Summit Bank in Eugene, Ore.; Joseph Pierce, president and CEO at Farmers State Bank in Lagrange, Ind.; Dorothy Savarese, president and CEO at Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank in Orleans, Mass., and Alan Thain, president and CEO at Royal Business Bank in Los Angeles.

"We are fortunate to have such talented and dedicated community bank leaders join our Advisory Committee, which has been a valuable resource for the FDIC over the last few years," FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg said in the press release. "The Advisory Committee has proven to be a key source of information and input for the FDIC on the many significant issues facing community banks."