1st Capital in Calif. Hires COO from American Perspective

1st Capital Bank in Monterey, Calif. has recruited a Central Coast banking veteran to its executive team.

The $303 million-asset bank said Friday that Mark Andino has joined the company as chief operating officer, a newly created position. Andino, 53, joins 1st Capital from American Perspective Bank in San Luis Obispo, Calif., which PacWest Bancorp (PACW) of Los Angeles acquired in August after outbidding Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in a deal that upended some of the gentlemanly rules of banking.

At American Perspective, Andino served as both chief financial officer and COO. He was previously CFO at Monterey Bay Bank following a series of positions at other banks over the course of his 28-year career.

Andino says the quality of 1st Capital's board, the bank's focus on shareholders and its success since opening roughly five years ago persuaded him to join. "For a bank to be able to maintain such a high caliber of credit quality during a very challenging economic and credit environment speaks very positively about the quality of the credit administration here and the executive team," he told American Banker.

He also says he likes the bank's recipe for growth. "Hire high-caliber professional bankers, have a client relationship focus and customized financial solutions for the client's benefit, and invest in technology and therefore delivery flexibility for the benefit of the customer," Andino says. "That is a winning strategy for a community bank."

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