STILLWATER, Okla., Dec. 14, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colorado banking veteran Matt Cassell and a team of commercial bankers have joined Bank SNB to manage the bank’s Colorado presence. In October, Bank SNB acquired First Commercial Bank, which marked the $2.3 billion regional bank’s entry into Colorado.
Joe Short and Jeff Jones accompany Cassell in his move to Bank SNB from another Colorado-based bank. Other Bank SNB commercial team members include Jim Pefanis in Denver and Bill Casey in Colorado Springs. The group has more than 70 years of combined banking experience in the state and has produced more than $1 billion in loans over the past two decades, including some high-profile, Denver-area projects.
“Our team was drawn to Bank SNB because of the positive, ‘can-do’ culture along with the friendly, helpful and experienced bankers we met along the way. We believe the bank’s size, resources and products will allow us to meet the needs of the Colorado market,” said Cassell. “In a state that values innovation, I believe Bank SNB brings a fresh approach – a customer-centered philosophy, broad lending capacity, great products and a credit culture that are a perfect fit for Colorado.”
Colorado is a crowded banking market that has historically been dominated by small community banks and large national ones. “Bank SNB’s regional size and many in-market decision-making processes allow us to be nimble and more responsive,” said Cassell.
“Bank SNB is able to provide clients more focused attention than larger banks that are often volume-driven, but we have greater resources and capabilities to help clients grow than smaller community banks do,” said Mark Funke, president and chief executive officer of Bank SNB. “I’m confident Matt and his team are the right people to introduce Colorado to Bank SNB and showcase all we have to offer.”
Matt Cassell brings 20 years of experience in Colorado banking to his new role as Bank SNB’s Colorado market president. At previous banks, he was recognized as a top producer, has managed high-performing commercial teams and served as the face of the market.
Joe Short is a senior vice president and senior commercial banker with more than 14 years of banking experience in the state. He has focused on commercial real estate and commercial and industrial lending.
Jeff Jones is a senior vice president and senior commercial banker. For nearly two decades, Jones has served as a commercial relationship manager at other Colorado-based banks.
Jim Pefanis is a senior vice president and commercial banker with more than 20 years of commercial banking and finance experience, specifically in commercial real estate and healthcare-related lending. He has lived in Colorado since 2001.
Bill Casey has worked in banking since 1998 developing and maintaining a commercial loan portfolio. As a senior vice president and senior commercial banker for Bank SNB, Casey will be responsible for originating commercial loans and lines of credit, as well as commercial real estate financing in the Colorado Springs area.
About Bank SNB
Southwest Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for Bank SNB, an Oklahoma state banking corporation. Through Bank SNB, Southwest offers commercial and consumer lending, deposit and investment services, specialized cash management, and other financial services from offices in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Colorado, and on the Internet, through Bank SNB DirectBanker®. Southwest was organized in 1981 as the holding company for Bank SNB, which was chartered in 1894. For more information, visit www.oksb.com or www.banksnb.com.
The Bank SNB logo is available at:
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A photograph of Matt Cassell is available at:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k6xmjuako5raszx/Matt%20Cassell.jpg?dl=0