First Financial Bank Names Executive

MIDDLE ATLANTIC

First Financial Bank, Downingtown, Pa., a subsidiary of Chester Valley Bancorp, has hired Michael Steinberger and Frank J. Baldassarre as vice presidents on its commercial lending team.

Mr. Steinberger will work out of the Westtown branch, providing local businesses with loan, deposit, and investment needs. He was a vice president and commercial lender at First Washington State Bank in Windsor, N.J., and has 18 years' experience in small-business lending at community banks.

Mr. Baldassarre will start at the Downingtown headquarters, but move this fall to a new branch First Financial will open in Devon. His job will be to develop a commercial loan business with small and medium-size companies in eastern Chester County, Main Line, and in western Delaware County. A 15-year bank veteran and commercial lender, he was most recently an assistant vice president and commercial lender at CoreStates Bank.

First Financial also hired Paula Stevens and Romaine R. Dunlap as assistant vice presidents.

Ms. Stevens will manage the Devon branch. She had managed Main Line Bank's branch in Devon, and had kept that job after Sovereign Bank bought Main Line in February. She has over 28 years' banking experience, the last 15 of them in Devon.

Ms. Dunlap will be business development officer at First Financial's Airport Village branch in Coatesville. She had managed PNC Bank's Coatesville branch as an assistant vice president.