TriCo in California Appoints Chief Risk Officer

TriCo Bancshares (TCBK) of Chico, Calif., has named a former Countrywide Bank executive as its chief risk officer.

Carol Ward has 28 years banking experience, including more than a decade in senior risk management positions at several California banks such as Countrywide, Hawthorne Savings and Mercantile Bank. Most recently she was a senior vice president of enterprise risk management at Elevations Credit Union in Boulder, Colo., the $2.5 billion-asset TriCo said.

At TriCo, Ward will be responsible for the development and review of risk management processes. She will oversee internal audits and the compliance department and will coordinate with other areas of the bank to ensure that risk management processes function effectively, TriCo said.

"Carol brings the leadership necessary to raise the performance of the bank through her strong knowledge and abilities as an enterprise risk manager," Richard P. Smith, TriCo's president and chief executive, said in a news release Friday. "I believe Carol and her new position are very important as we continue to strengthen our risk management focus and elevate ourselves to the next level of our development."

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Community banking Consumer banking California
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER