Fulton Financial Snags First Niagara's Marketing Chief

Fulton Financial (FULT) in Lancaster, Pa., has lured a chief marketing officer from First Niagara Financial (FNFG).

The $16.7 billion-asset company said Tuesday that Avi Patel will oversee its marketing strategy and branding. Patel, who held a similar role for nearly two-and-a-half years at First Niagara, succeeds Jay DiRico, who retired from Fulton at the end of 2011.

Patel's career includes product development in the retail and small-business banking division at Wilmington Trust in Delaware. He also served in a series of credit card business roles at Citigroup (NYSE:C) and FirstUSA Bank, according to a LinkedIn profile.

The hiring creates another vacancy at First Niagara, which has been looking for a replacement for ousted CEO John Koelmel.

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