WALLA WALLA, Wash., Oct. 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Banner Corporation (NASDAQ:GSM:BANR), the parent company of Banner Bank, today announced the retirement of Judy Steiner, Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of the Bank, effective November 25, 2021. Jim Costa has been hired to succeed Steiner as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer as well as the Bank’s chief banking regulatory liaison. Costa is joining the Bank immediately and will begin working with Steiner to ensure a smooth transition.
Steiner joined Banner Bank in 2016, shortly after the transformational acquisition of AmericanWest which doubled the Bank’s asset size. Prior to that, Steiner spent 25 years with FirstMerit Corporation in executive leadership positions including Executive Vice President & Chief Risk Officer, Secretary, and General Counsel.
“We are grateful for the important contributions Judy made while at Banner,” said Mark J. Grescovich, President and Chief Executive Officer. “She has been pivotal in right-sizing our enterprise risk and compliance functions during a time of rapid growth for the company. Of equal importance is the structure and roadmap she put in place that will serve us well as the company continues to grow.”
Costa has nearly 30 years of financial services experience, which includes building and leading teams across lines of business and risk management including all primary retail and wholesale lending businesses and investment banking. Most recently, he served as Chief Risk and Chief Credit Officer for Minnesota-based TCF Financial Corporation, a $49 billion regional bank holding company. At TCF, he managed operations and all credit and risk functions. Prior to that, he held executive leadership positions in enterprise risk and credit at PNC Bank and Wachovia Corporation.
“Jim is well-regarded in our industry with extensive risk management and leadership expertise,” said Grescovich. “His enterprise risk and compliance acumen, as well as his demonstrated ability to craft strategies that drive growth and profitability, make him a good fit for Banner.”
About the Company
Banner Corporation is a $16.64 billion bank holding company operating one commercial bank in four Western states through a network of branches offering a full range of deposit services and business, commercial real estate, construction, residential, agricultural and consumer loans. Visit Banner Bank on the Web at www.bannerbank.com.