Curtis Presented With California Bankers Association Award

News provided by

Jun 24, 2015, 03:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, June 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West announced today that James B. Curtis, vice president and senior counsel at the bank, has been awarded the California in-house banking attorney of the year award for 2015, the Almon McCallum Award, by the California Bankers Association (CBA). The award is presented each year by CBA to a California bank attorney "in recognition of dedication to excellence in professional development and leadership among your peers in the banking industry." CBA is the largest banking trade association in the United States, representing more than 300 financial institutions in the State of California.

James Curtis (r), Vice President and Senior Counsel at Bank of the West, receiving the California Bankers Association's in-house banking attorney of the year award for 2015 from Steve Strange (l), Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Manufacturers Bank

Curtis is the Bank's primary contracts attorney and is responsible for providing legal services on banking operations matters to approximately 240 branch banking locations located in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Curtis also teaches the course in Commercial Paper at the USC Law School and the course in Contracts at the UCLA Extension Paralegal Training Program. In 2012, UCLA presented Curtis with the Distinguished Instructor Award.

In presenting the award to Curtis, Leland Chan, CBA's General Counsel, commented, "Jim is an expert in banking operations and banking law and a frequent speaker at CBA conferences. He has assisted the California banking industry through volunteer service on committees and helps CBA staff understand how laws and regulations affect banking." Curtis also received CBA's Compliance Professional Award in 2006 and becomes the seventh person in CBA's history to be presented with both of CBA's top awards.

Mr. Chan added, "Jim is widely recognized as one of the most effective educators in the field."

Curtis, a 1982 graduate of the USC Law School and a 1979 graduate of Eastern Illinois University, has been with Bank of the West since 1997. Curtis is a 1975 graduate of East Alton-Wood River Community High School.

About Bank of the West:
Bank of the West is a regional financial services company chartered in California and headquartered in San Francisco with $70.9 billion in assets as of March 31, 2015. Founded in 1874, Bank of the West provides a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services through more than 600 offices in 22 states and digital channels. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 75 countries with 185,000 employees.

Deposit and loan products offered by Bank of the West, Member FDIC. Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150624/225474

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150226/178001LOGO

SOURCE Bank of the West