RENO, Nev., April 24, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Business Bank of Nevada, now part of City National Bank, today announced that it has opened a new lending center in southwest Reno and hired longtime banking professionals John Sizemore, Bob Underwood, Frank Young, Kim Bartlett, Lilia Papa and Martin Livermore to fill various branch and lending manager positions in its Reno offices. These individuals represent more than 170 years of combined commercial banking experience, with Sizemore totaling 38 years, Underwood with 35 years, Young with 43 years, Bartlett with 18 years, Papa with 27 years, and Livermore with 10 years.
Sizemore joins Business Bank as senior vice president, commercial banking services manager and team leader of the Bank's new lending center, which is located at 6490 South McCarran Boulevard, Suite 31, in southwest Reno. Sizemore and his commercial banking services team will be working very closely with Ken Achurra who heads up the Bank's commercial lending responsibilities for the Reno/Sparks area. Prior to joining Business Bank, Sizemore served as senior vice president and commercial banking manager for seven years for Bank of the West in Reno. Sizemore's tenure in banking also includes working for Bank of America and its predecessor banks, Valley Bank of Nevada and Security Bank of Nevada, for 26 years serving in a variety of lending and branch related positions. He also spent about four years with The Arizona Bank in Tucson, and a year with United California Bank in Los Angeles when he began his career in banking in 1969. Sizemore is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Economics. He is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School, Seattle, Washington. (For an image of Sizemore, go to http://www.bbnv.com/sizemore.php.)
Underwood joins Business Bank as senior vice president and branch relationship manager of its full-service branch at 6518 S. McCarran Boulevard in southwest Reno. Prior to joining Business Bank, Underwood worked for nearly seven years as vice president and banking center manager for Bank of the West in Reno. He also worked for approximately 26 years in a variety of branch administration positions for Bank of America and its predecessor banks, Valley Bank of Nevada and Security Bank of Nevada, throughout northern Nevada. Underwood began his career in banking in 1972 with First Interstate Bank in California and eventually northern Nevada, where he spent the first eleven years of his banking career in management training, branch and district operations, and product development positions. He is a graduate of California Western University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. Underwood has also been involved in a number of banking and community organizations, which include the Nevada Bankers Association, Boy Scouts of America, Rotary Club, Exchange Club and more. (For an image of Underwood, go to http://www.bbnv.com/underwood.php).
Young joins Business Bank as vice president and commercial lender at the Bank's new lending center in Reno. Prior to joining Business Bank, Young worked for Bank of the West for nearly six years as a vice president and portfolio manager in its commercial lending area in Reno. He also worked for about a year for First National Bank of Nevada as commercial banking group manager in Reno, and 35 years for Bank of America and its predecessors Valley Bank of Nevada and Security Bank of Nevada, where he served in a variety of branch and lending positions in northern Nevada and California. Young earned an associates degree in Accounting from Fresno City College, and is a graduate of Fresno State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He's also actively involved in the community through the Reno YMCA, Sparks Kiwanis Club, Wolf Pack Round Ball Club, and more. (For an image of Young, go to http://www.bbnv.com/young.php).
Bartlett joins Business Bank as assistant vice president and relationship manager at the Bank's full-service branch in Reno. Prior to joining Business Bank, Bartlett worked for nearly seven years for Bank of the West as a financial sales officer in the Reno area. During her nearly 20 years in the banking industry, she's worked for a number of other financial institutions in the Reno/Sparks area, including Bank of America for approximately four years as a financial service officer, U.S. Bank for more than five years as a personal banking officer, and California Federal Bank for about a year as a customer service manager. Bartlett is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, where she earned a paralegal degree with an emphasis in business. She is an officer of the Sparks Republican Women's organization and a member of the Reno/Sparks Realtors Association. (For an image of Bartlett, go to http://www.bbnv.com/bartlett.php).
Papa joins Business Bank as assistant vice president and credit analyst in the Bank's new lending center in Reno. With over 25 years of experience as a credit analyst, Papa previously worked for approximately 10 years as an assistant vice president and credit analyst for Bank of the West in the Reno market. She's also worked in this market for Bank of America and its predecessor banks, Valley Bank of Nevada and Security Bank of Nevada, for approximately 12 years as an associate account officer. Prior to moving to northern Nevada, Papa lived in the Philippines where she worked as an accounting assistant for Stayfast Phils, Inc. She is a graduate of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, where she earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration. Papa also earned her license as a Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines. (For an image of Papa, go to http://www.bbnv.com/papa.php).
Finally, Livermore joins Business Bank as vice president and senior relationship manager at the Bank's full-service branch in Reno. Prior to joining Business Bank, Livermore worked for seven years as vice president and business development officer for Bank of the West in Reno. He also worked as a personal banker for three years for Bank of America in Reno. Prior to relocating to northern Nevada in 1997, Livermore lived in Stockholm, Sweden, where he earned an A.S. degree in Building Design and Construction Techniques from Nacka College of Technical Studies. (For an image of Livermore, go to http://www.bbnv.com/livermore.php).
"It's not very often that you get the opportunity to hire an entire team of banking professionals who have the experience and name recognition these six individuals have in northern Nevada," said Jerry Gregory, senior vice president and northern Nevada regional manager of Business Bank. "We were very fortunate to bring these folks on board and provide them with the environment to take care of their clients with a wider array of new products and services we'll have available very shortly when we rollout the City National Bank brand at the end of next month."
About Business Bank and City National
Business Bank has seven branch offices in Nevada, with three in Las Vegas, one in North Las Vegas, one in Reno, one in Carson City and one in Minden. City National Corporation is a financial services company with more than $15 billion in total assets. Its wholly owned subsidiary, City National Bank, is California's Premier Private and Business Bank(r). On a combined basis, City National now provides banking, investment and trust services through 61 offices, including 15 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada and New York City.
City National and its nine investment affiliates manage or administer more than $48 billion in client assets, including $27.9 billion under direct management.
For more information about Business Bank and City National, visit the company's websites at www.bbnv.com and www.cnb.com
The Business Bank of Nevada logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3462