Trisha Shetty (Editor)

CertusBank

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Type
  
Private

Key people
  
Len Davenport, CEO

Headquarters
  
Greenville

Number of employees
  
500

Area served
  
Nationwide

Website
  
CertusBank.com

Founded
  
2010

Parent organization
  
CertusHoldings, Inc.

CertusBank upstatebusinessjournalcomwpcontentuploads2014

Industry
  
Banking, Financial services

Products
  
Debit cards, consumer banking, corporate banking, investment banking, wholesale banking, global wealth management, financial analysis

CEO
  
John S. Poelker (9 Apr 2014–)

Subsidiaries
  
CertusBank, N.A. (Hudson), CertusWealth

Certusbank on in view with host larry king preview


CertusBank, N.A. is a full-service, nationally chartered bank, with a presence in twelve U.S. states. Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, with secondary corporate offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina, the bank currently operates more than 30 retail branches in the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia and offers access to over 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs through the Presto and AllPoint networks. CertusBank, N.A. is a subsidiary of CertusHoldings, Inc. (formerly Blue Ridge Holdings, Inc.) headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and was created by former executives from Bank of America and Wachovia.

Contents

CertusBank is the result of the combination of several acquisitions since 2011, including CommunitySouth Bank and Trust of Easley, South Carolina; Atlantic Southern Bank of Macon, Georgia; and First Georgia Banking Company of Franklin, Georgia. Subsequent CertusBank acquisitions include Charlotte, North Carolina-based Myers Park Mortgage, Inc.; Hometown Community Bank of Braselton, Georgia; Quadrant Financial, Inc. of Savannah, Georgia; Resource Financial Services of Columbia, South Carolina; and Parkway Bank of Lenoir, North Carolina.

The company engages in various lending and banking practices: retail banking, consumer lending, wholesale banking, wealth management, and mortgage lending.

Certusbank on in view


History

CertusBank was founded by Angela Webb, Walter Davis, Milton Jones Jr and Charles Williams who served in various leadership roles. In 2010, CertusHoldings received a shelf charter from the Comptroller of the Currency and raised $500 million from investors.

On January 21, 2011, the new CertusBank bought the failed CommunitySouth Bank & Trust of Easley, South Carolina, whose six branches reopened as CertusBank the next day. As of Sept. 30, 2010, CommunitySouth had $402.4 million in deposits and $440.6 million in assets. The FDIC agreed to cover $211 million in problem loans. Easley became the headquarters city for CertusBank.

In May 2011, CertusBank added 26 more locations. In deals arranged by the FDIC, CertusBank bought the operations of two failed Georgia banks—Atlantic Southern Bank of Macon, with assets of $741.9 million and deposits of $707.6 million, and First Georgia Banking Co. of Franklin (for a grand total of over $1 billion in value). The FDIC agreed to cover $273.5 million in problem loans for Atlantic Southern and $156.5 million for First Georgia.

In October 2011, CertusBank acquired Sage Southeastern Securities of Atlanta, GA and added brokerage capabilities to its wealth management offering.

On August 3, 2012, CertusBank acquired Myers Park Mortgage, based out of Charlotte, NC. Shortly after, the bank acquired Quadrant Financial, Inc. This acquisition placed CertusBank as the largest Small Business Administration (SBA) 7A lender based in South Carolina and led to the creation of a new business division, CertusBank Small Business Finance. Operations of Quadrant Financial continue in the company's locations outside of the CertusBank footprint under the leadership of co-founders John Handmaker and George Vredeveld Jr.

On November 16, 2012, CertusBank acquired the assets of Hometown Community Bank of Braselton, Georgia under a Purchase and Assumption Agreement with the FDIC. At the close of business on November 16, 2012, Hometown Community Bank was closed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, and the FDIC was appointed Receiver. Simultaneously, CertusBank assumed deposits and certain other liabilities and purchased certain related assets of the bank.

In December 2012, CertusBank finalized its acquisition of Resource Financial Services, an independently-owned mortgage company is based in Columbia, SC.

On April 26, 2013, CertusBank acquired the assets and deposits of Parkway Bank of Lenoir, North Carolina, which was closed by state regulators.

On August 19, 2013, CertusBank announced its intention to make a strategic investment in Monarch Business and Wealth Management, a joint venture between Barry Klarberg and Asset Alliance Corporation. Monarch represents professional athletes, international entertainers, and high-net worth families.

On April 9, 2014, John S. Poelker was named Interim President and Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Robert L. Wright was named Chairman of the Board.

In May, 2015, John S. Poelker (Chairman, President, and CEO) resigned from his positions to deal with health concerns. Len Davenport, CertusBank's CIO and Treasurer, was named interim CEO by the company's board members.

Community involvement

CertusBank supports several community-oriented organizations, including the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Habitat for Humanity, the Greenville County Museum of Art, the Northside Development Corporation, and the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics.

References

CertusBank Wikipedia