MIDWEST
UMB Financial Corp. in Kansas City, Mo., has hired Larry Valencia to co-manage its new Scout Technology Fund, a portfolio that invests in technology companies for long-term capital appreciation.Mr. Valencia, who was named a vice president in UMB's trust investments division, is also a technology sector analyst. He reports to executive vice president Bill Greiner, who also co-manages the fund along with assistant vice president Craig Novorr.
Mr. Valencia was an assistant vice president and portfolio manager at Security Benefit, a mutual funds and annuities firm in Topeka, Kan., where he worked for more than five years. Before that, he was a portfolio manager at Pena Investment Advisors, the Denver investment firm established by Federico Pena, a former secretary of the departments of Energy and Transportation in the Clinton administration.
He has 20 years of financial experience, with emphases on mutual funds and equity research.
UMB is a multibank holding company with $7.8 billion of assets.
WEST
Imperial Bancorp based in Inglewood, Calif., has hired David Bridewell to be vice president and manager of the newly opened Orlando office of its principal bank's small-business lending division.It is the division's second Florida office. The first was opened this year in Jacksonville, and a third is to be opened in Tampa this month. The Florida offices share responsibility for offering Small Business Administration-backed loans to Florida businesses.
Mr. Bridewell is also in charge of conventional real estate lending in the Orlando region. He was formerly a vice president of Liberty National Bank's real estate lending group in Longwood, Fla.
He also is the founder of the Central Florida Turnaround Management Group, a voluntary organization of lenders, bankers, consultants, and other executives who meet once a month to help companies in financial straits.
Imperial Bank's small-business lending division makes loans typically from $100,000 to $3 million to businesses that include hotels, residential care facilities, and restaurants. Imperial Bancorp, with $7 billion of assets, is ranked among the top 10 SBA pool originators in the country.
Imperial also hired Mike Park as a vice president in its Southwest emerging growth division. Mr. Park works in the bank's Dallas office and is responsible for business development and relationships with high-technology and early-stage technology companies in the region.
Mr. Park was a vice president of high-technology banking at $3.8 billion-asset Comerica Bank-Texas in Dallas. During his eight years at Comerica, he was also a credit analyst and officer in commercial real estate and a loan officer for middle-market lending. Earlier, he worked in the audit division of Arthur Andersen in Dallas.
SOUTHEAST
United Bank in Vienna, Va., has promoted vice president of real estate lending Scott Ritter to senior vice president. His responsibilities did not change.Mr. Ritter, 37, joined the bank in 1993 and is responsible for underwriting and business development in the commercial real estate division. Previously he was an assistant vice president for real estate lending at Maryland National Bank, which was bought by the former NationsBank Corp. in 1995. Earlier he held a similar post at First American Bank in Washington.
United Bank, with $1.6 billion of assets, is a subsidiary of United Bankshares, which has $5 billion of assets and is headquartered in Parkersburg, W.Va.
SOUTHWEST
Vail Banks Inc. and its subsidiary WestStar Bank in Colorado have hired Peter G. Williston as chief financial officer and named him senior executive vice president.Mr. Williston has 17 years of banking experience at $32.8 billion-asset Union Planters Bank of Memphis, where he was a senior vice president and controller.
During his career at Union Planters, he was also secretary to the board of directors and a member of planning committees for senior management, funds management, pricing, and disaster recovery. Before that, Mr. Williston was an audit manager at Coopers & Lybrand Management Consulting Services, predecessor of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Vail Banks Inc. has $470 million of assets.
