SAN DIEGO, May 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- City National Bank, California’s Premier Private and Business Bank^®, today announced that it has reached a significant milestone in its history in San Diego. The bank entered the region 40 years ago when it opened its first branch located on La Jolla Village Drive in San Diego County on June 11, 1979.

There were 18 colleagues who occupied 3300 square feet of space in what would be temporary offices until the bank moved to a larger regional facility. Four decades later City National’s presence in San Diego now includes a 15,539 square foot regional center at 4275 Executive Square, Suite 750, along with five full-service branches located throughout the region.

What also began with a handful of employees 40 years ago has grown to nearly 80 colleagues serving in all areas of the bank including Personal and Business Banking, Private Banking, Commercial Banking, Real Estate Banking, City National Rochdale, Treasury Management, Trust & Estate Planning, Residential Lending, and more.

“We are very proud of what City National has accomplished in San Diego the past 40 years,” said Bernadette Bach, senior vice president and San Diego regional manager of City National. “The bank has remained committed to its original mission, which is serving and supporting entrepreneurs, professionals, and their families in San Diego. Our growth over the last four decades is also a reflection of our commitment to helping our clients on The Way Up.”

Bach went on to say that City National has had the pleasure of working with some of San Diego’s finest businesses and organizations, and has strived to help them in every way it can, each and every day. “It’s what we find most gratifying and the reason why so many of us have been with the bank for decades.”

Don Cohn is a well-known and longtime client of City National in San Diego who became a client of the bank not too long after it entered the region in 1979. Cohn has been a principal in numerous businesses like Dataquick, the first and largest information company in the United States founded in 1980, which was used by real estate, financial and government agencies. He has founded or been involved in a number of companies both large and small companies over the past 20 years. During the past three plus decades City National has provided Cohn and his businesses, as well as his family, with a number of banking products and services including business loans and lines of credit, depository, treasury management, investment banking, and more.

“City National has been a great banking partner for us ever since we began banking with them nearly four decades ago,” said Cohn. “Our businesses required a banking partner that listens and understands our financial needs, which City National has done consistently for us. My family and I would not be where we’re at today without City National’s ongoing support.”

Claire Reiss and her late husband, leading biomedical entrepreneur Robert Reiss, became clients of City National in the early 1980s when Bob was CEO of IMED. Mrs. Reiss carries on her husband’s passion for creating jobs and saving lives. Mr. Reiss was considered one of the leading entrepreneurs in the biomedical industry. Mrs. Reiss is an avid philanthropist in many fields, especially the San Diego Opera. She is also the current owner and president of Reisung Enterprises, Inc., a commercial real estate development company that specializes in build-to-suit commercial properties for high-tech and bio-tech companies.

“My late husband and I have always enjoyed and appreciate our amazing relationship with City National Bank,” said Claire Reiss. “The bankers we have dealt with over the past 35 plus years are very knowledgeable and personable. When it comes to developing and maintaining relationships, there’s no one better than City National. As it says in their logo, they truly know what it means to help people, businesses and communities on The Way Up.”

In recognition of this legacy support, City National is awarding $40,000 to forty nonprofit groups. Today, dozens of bank colleagues are delivering $1,000 grants to forty deserving nonprofit and community-based organizations as part of City National’s 40^th Anniversary celebration. These organizations are listed in alphabetical order further on in this release.

“Community outreach is an integral part of our success in San Diego,” Bach added. “We’re only as strong as our communities and awarding an additional $40,000 to so many wonderful nonprofit agencies throughout San Diego reaffirms our commitment to the region.”

In San Diego last year, City National contributed over $189,000 to more than 60 nonprofit groups, while its colleagues donated close to 1,000 hours of volunteer service to the community. Last year, City National overall contributed over $7.228 million to more than 900 nonprofit organizations while its colleagues donated over 29,000 hours of volunteer service.

City National contributes financial, in-kind and volunteer assistance to nonprofit institutions and organizations that enhance the quality of life and promote public interest where the company conducts its business. The main areas of the bank’s community outreach include, but are not limited to, education, health and human services, community development, and arts and culture.

About City National

With $51.1 billion in assets, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services through 71 offices, including 19 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. In addition, the company and its investment affiliates manage or administer $71.7 billion in client investment assets.

City National is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies. RBC serves more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the United States and 33 other countries.

For more information about City National, visit the company’s website at cnb.com.

Following is a list of the forty nonprofit organizations that are receiving community grants as part of City National’s 40^th Anniversary celebration:

- Alliance for Quality Education (Mira Mesa Senior Center)
- Alzheimer’s of San Diego
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association
- Bikes for Kids
- Boys & Girls Club of San Dieguito
- Challenged Athletes Foundation
- Casa de Amparo
- Center for Community Solutions
- Classic 4 Kids
- Coastal Roots Farm
- FACE Foundation
- Father Joe’s Villages
- Foundation for Women
- Got Your Back San Diego
- Helen Woodward Animal Center
- Interfaith Community Services Inc.
- Jewish Family Service of San Diego
- Junior Achievement
- Just in Time for Foster Youth
- Labs and More
- Mingei International Museum
- Nami San Diego
- Noah Homes
- Operation Hope Vista Inc.
- Rancho Coastal Humane Society
- San Diego Cooperative Charter Schools
- San Diego Rescue Mission
- San Diego Ronald McDonald House
- San Diego Youth Symphony
- San Diego Zoo Global
- Solana Center for Environmental Innovation
- STEP Support the Enlisted Project
- Sunshine Ranch Therapeutic Riding
- Triumph Foundation
- Union of Pan Asian Communities
- Warrior Foundation Freedom Station
- Water for Children Africa
- Workshop for Warriors
- WRC San Diego
- YMCA of San Diego

Media Contact:
Paul C. Stowell, City National Bank, 213.673.7602
paul.stowell@cnb.com