Career moves

Orion FCU and Greylock FCU announce appointments and promotions while CU League of Connecticut honors three.

Cutting-edge jobs — think chief innovation, strategy and data officers — are on the rise at banks and other lenders, and they are drawing free-thinking, tech-savvy candidates from inside and outside of financial services. American Banker asked several of them to recommend a book or other piece of writing that helped them tackle jobs that often were created from scratch.

CIT Group named John C. Erickson president of its consumer bank and head of operations in California. Erickson, 54, will be based in Pasadena, California, and report to Chief Executive Officer Ellen Alemany.

Members of State Employees' CU, Raleigh, N.C., renewed the SECU Foundation's "People Helping People" high school and community college scholarship programs. Both programs represent the allocation of over $4 million in scholarships annually.

Lending Club said Thursday that it has hired Sameer Gulati, formerly of McKinsey & Co., to be its chief operations officer and promoted another executive, Scott Sanborn, to president. Both are newly created positions at the nonbank lender.

Partnership FCU CEO Theresa Mann wins award and other credit union advocates in the news.

Banc of California in Irvine is expanding its commercial bank by starting units specializing in health care, municipals and nonprofit banking.

Diamond CU supports local Reading Olympics and other great things credit unions are doing in their communities.

M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y., has expanded the job responsibilities of René Jones, its chief financial officer and vice chairman, while at the same time naming a new CFO.

Community Bank in Pasadena, Calif., said Tuesday that it has named Lyle Knight, a former CEO of First Interstate BancSystem in Billings, Mont., to its board.

SRP FCU in North Augusta, S.C., named an executive from one of the nation's largest credit unions as its next president and chief executive.

Wells Fargo has hired Kristi Mitchem, formerly of State Street, to be the president and chief executive of its asset management division.

Farmers Bank in Frankfort, Ind., has named a new chief executive, after its previous leader died of cancer.

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) announced it has selected Cherie Freed to become regional director of the agency’s Region V office in Tempe, Ariz.

Richard Krauland will retire later this year as chief executive of NexTier Bank in Butler, Pa., after leading the institution through two mergers and name changes.

Summit State Bank in Santa Rosa, Calif., has a new chief executive.

Ascend CEO appointed to the FRB-Atlanta Advisory Council and other CU advocates in the news.

Bank Leumi USA has hired two bankers from Citigroup, Elsa Burton and Craig Warden, to help lead its operations in Los Angeles.

A behind-the-scenes credit union veteran will go from being NCUA Chairman Debbie Matz’ right-hand man to serving in a similar position for Pentagon FCU CEO James Schenck.

United Community Financial in Youngstown, Ohio, has hired a JPMorgan Chase executive to be in charge of its technology.