Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., has plucked its next chief financial officer from in-state rival SunTrust Banks.
Kevin Blair will succeed Tom Prescott as executive vice president and CFO on Aug. 17, the $29 billion-asset Synovus said in a press release Monday. Prescott will retire after working for Synovus for nearly 30 years.
Blair, an 18-year veteran of Atlanta-based SunTrust, had been corporate treasurer since 2015. He previously was director of the $190 billion-asset company's commercial specialty segment and had served in leadership roles in corporate strategy, credit risk management and elsewhere; he was also once chairman and chief executive officer of SunTrust's Georgia-North Florida region.
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Synovus Financial struggled along with its customers during the financial crisis. Now that it's healthy again, it credits the strong ties it built with those customers, and the involvement of its executives in the communities they serve, with helping restore its status as one of banking's most reputable brands.
June 27 -
Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported lower quarterly earnings as salaries and personnel expenses increased.
April 19 -
SunTrust is turning to fintech to help it provide better payments solutions to its business customers. The approach is novel because so much of fintech innovation centers on overhauling retail banking.
February 12
"[Blair] is a deeply experienced banker and corporate finance executive, with a strong appreciation for the vital role banks play in serving customers and communities," Kessel Stelling, the chairman and CEO of Synovus, said in the release.