BBVA Compass hires veteran banker to lead its new Seattle loan production office
- John Norawong to serve as market president in Washington
- Seattle-area office is located at Columbia Center
HOUSTON, May 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA Compass hired veteran banker John Norawong to serve as the market president for the bank's new loan production office in Seattle.
The Seattle location is one of several loan production offices BBVA Compass received approval to open to help expand the bank beyond its Sunbelt footprint. BBVA Compass now has approval to open loan production offices across the United States in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tenn., Columbus, Ohio, and the North Carolina cities of Charlotte and Raleigh.
"We're pleased to have a seasoned banker like John who has experience building commercial banking teams lead our Seattle office," said Andy Wykstra, a West regional Commercial Banking manager for BBVA Compass. "Under his direction, our local banking team has already developed niche expertise in providing financial services for our automobile dealer, health care, international and trade finance clients."
The Seattle operation is temporarily located in the Columbia Center at 701 5th Ave. The bank's permanent offices, which will open later this year, will also be located in the Columbia Center, Seattle's tallest skyscraper.
Norawong most recently served as a regional manager in the National Banking Organization for Bank of the West in San Francisco. He began his banking career in 1993 and has worked for the financial industry in California, Washington and Utah. He spent nine years working in Washington state as an executive for a variety of banks and is knowledgeable about the market, including its close ties with China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Norawong received his master's degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee and his bachelor's degree in finance and marketing from Brigham Young University. He is fluent in Thai and Lao.
About BBVA Group
BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of BBVA Compass Bancshares Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, is the largest financial institution in Mexico and has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt region of the United States. Its diversified business is geared toward high-growth markets and relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes. More information about the BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.
About BBVA Compass
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 684 branches, including 352 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 78 in Arizona, 62 in California, 45 in Florida, 38 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (5th). BBVA Compass has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration and was recently awarded the 2013 Celent Model Bank Award for its new core banking platform. Additional information about BBVA Compass can be found at www.bbvacompass.com, by following @BBVACompassNews on Twitter or visiting newsroom.bbvacompass.com.
Editor's Note:
BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank.
SOURCE BBVA Compass
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