Pub. 13 2016 Issue 3

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S Issue 3 • 2016 21 BANK NEWS FID Director Richards Retires Cynthia Richards, director of the Financial Institutions Division, retired from the state agency on August 31, 2016. Richards was appointed to the position by Governor Susana Martinez in 2011. She brought 30 years of banking experience, with a strong background in compliance, investigatory process and procedures, and collections and foreclosures to the Division at a time when the state was beginning to see and feel the impacts of the Great Recession. Bankers have praised Richards for a job well-done. Upon announcing her retirement, Director Richards said, “It has been an honor to serve the people of New Mexico and to work alongside such capable and dedicated professionals both in our government service and in the New Mexico financial industry. My goals have always been to protect the people of our state, to insure the soundness of our financial industries, and to promote the professionalism of the Financial Institutions Division.” n John Anderson Named to the Best Lawyers in America John Anderson, Executive Vice President of the New Mexico Bankers Association, has been selected by his peers to be included in the 23rd edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of Banking and Finance Law. He has been included in this select publication since 1995. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising confidential evaluations by top attorneys from around the United States. For more than three decades, Best Lawyers has been regarded-by both the profession and the public-as the most credible and definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. n WestStar, El Paso, Closes Merger with FNB, Fabens WestStar Bank, El Paso, complete its merger with First National Bank, Fabens, on August 1 thereby forming a $1.5 billion banking institution in the El Paso Borderplex region. The merger agreement was announced in June 2015. Based on financial results at that time, the combined bank was to have approximately $1.5 billion in total assets, $1.3 billion in total deposits, $1 billion in total loans, and a 17-branch footprint across El Paso and Las Cruces. n Bank 34 Inc., Alamogordo, to Begin Sale of Common Stock Alamogordo Financial Corp., the holding company for Bank 34, Alamogordo, announced that Bancorp 34 Inc., a newly formed corporation that is the proposed successor holding company for Bank 34, is commencing its stock offering in connection with the company’s previously announced plans to become a fully public company. The completion of the conversion and offering is subject to selling a minimum of 1,207,986 shares in the offering, the receipt of all regulatory approvals, and the approval of Bank 34’s depositors and certain borrowers and stockholders of the company. Bank 34 has operated in Southern New Mexico since its founding in 1934. Today, it has offices in Alamogordo n BANK NEWS  continued on page 22 Commercial Loan Officer, Carlsbad, NM. Exciting career opportunity at a community minded bank in southeast,NM. Ideal candidate will have undergrad degree in related field and five years commercial loan experience . Must manage commercial loan portfolio to maintain quality control and minimize loss and actively participate in local business and community activities . Please submit resume to Kirsten St. John at kstjohn@carlsbadnational.com . Credit Analyst, Carlsbad, NM. Exciting career opportunity at a community minded bank in southeast, NM. Successful candidate will have an undergrad degree in accounting or finance and the ability to analyze, evaluate, document and monitor credit risk of proposed and existing customers. Please submit resume to Kirsten St. John at kstjohn@carlsbadnational.com THE CARLSBAD NATIONAL BANK| EXCITING CAREER OPPORTUNITYS