MIDDLE ATLANTIC
Signature Bank in New York has hired Frank J. Besignano as business development manager in its private banking branch on Staten Island.
Besignano was a retail market executive at Sovereign Bank, which he joined when it bought his former employer, Independence Community Bank, in 2006. Before that he was the retail market executive for the SI Bank and Trust division of Independence Community. Earlier he was the division's director of business and marketing.
Signature Bank has $7.4 billion of assets.
Sterling National Bank in Woodbury, N.Y., has hired Stephen Leavenworth as managing director of commercial finance for its Sterling Resource Funding Corp.
Leavenworth was a senior vice president and national director of commercial credit at CIT Group. He joined CIT in 2002 as a senior vice president and director of new business. Before that he was a senior vice president and relationship manager at Fleet Bank where he oversaw business development in the textile and apparel industries. Earlier he was a vice president and commercial and international credit manager at First Bank of the Americas where he oversaw credit analysts who reviewed commercial and real estate borrowers.
Sterling National has $2.1 billion of assets.
WEST1st Century Bancshares Inc. in Los Angeles has rehired Robert A. Moore as the executive vice president and chief credit officer.
Moore has been the chairman of the board of directors' loan committee at the $259 million-asset company and a director of 1st Century Bank since retiring in 2005. He was the executive vice president and chief credit officer when 1st Century was established in 2004. Before that he was the chief credit officer of City National Bank from 1992 until his retirement in 2002.
Torrey Pines Bank in San Diego has promoted John Massab to chief credit officer, Crystal Watkins to senior vice president and director of marketing and Community Reinvestment Act administration and Chris Grassa to vice president and manager of the east-county market.
The $918 million-asset company has also hired Don Schempp as senior vice president for the north-coastal market.
Massab was an executive vice president and regional manager. Before he joined Torrey Pines in 2003 he worked in the corporate banking division at California Bank and Trust.
Watkins was a vice president and the director of marketing and community relations. She has worked at the bank since 2005.
Grassa is a founding officer of the bank and worked in the commercial lending division.
Schempp had been an executive vice president and the regional manager for north San Diego county at Temecula Valley Bank since 2005. Before that he had been the president of north-county community banking at First National Bank in San Diego since 2002. Earlier he had been the president and chief executive officer of Capital Bank of North County in Carlsbad since 1990.
SOUTHEASTBancTrust Financial Group Inc. in Mobile has hired James F. House as president of the Florida market at its BankTrust unit.
House was a banking and financial consultant. Before that he was an executive vice president at SouthTrust Bank where he oversaw all commercial loan services. Earlier he was the chief executive officer of SouthTrust's Birmingham, Ala., market.
BancTrust has $2.1 billion of assets.
MIDWESTMainSource Financial Group Inc. in Greensburg, Ind., has promoted Daryl R. Tressler to chief banking officer.
Tressler was the president and chief executive officer of MainSource Bank. Before that he had been the chairman, president and CEO of Union Bank since 1994 when its parent company, Indiana United Bancorp, bought his previous employer, People's Bank. He had been the president and CEO of People's Bank in Portland, Ind., since 1989.
MainSource has $2.8 billion of assets.
