Huntington Bank Extending Private Banking in Western Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With three new dedicated Private Financial Group offices in Northwest Pennsylvania and added staff in Pittsburgh, Huntington National Bank will be growing its private banking portfolio throughout the western portion of the state, according to new Pennsylvania Private Banking Region Manager Dana E. Audo.

Audo, 55, senior vice president, said his goals for growth of the private banking presence throughout Western Pennsylvania will be supported by the new Private Financial Group offices in Erie, Titusville and Sharon. The 30-plus-year banking veteran is the new leader of the six-member Pennsylvania Private Banking Region team, led from Huntington's regional headquarters in Pittsburgh.

"We have chosen Dana to lead an aggressive Pennsylvania growth initiative for the Private Financial Group," said Daniel B. Benhase, Huntington senior executive vice president and director of Huntington's Private Financial Group.

Huntington's new standalone offices for private banking and wealth management services raise the bank's total of dedicated Private Financial Group Pennsylvania office locations to six, now covering all of Western Pennsylvania. Two previously Pittsburgh-based private banking team members have relocated to Sharon to help lead practice growth within that office market. In addition to Pittsburgh, there are currently Private Financial Group service locations in Beaver and New Castle.

"I am confident we have the capability for strong growth with this team," said Audo, who is a Western Pennsylvania native who has built his banking career in Pittsburgh. "All of us have more than 20 years of experience and deep roots in Western Pennsylvania. With our enhanced presence to the north and our expanded team in greater Pittsburgh, we are looking forward to building new customer relationships and strengthening our existing customer relationships within our $4 billion region asset portfolio."

Audo is a past board member of the Northern Allegheny Chamber of Commerce, and served as a member of the Allegheny County Financial Task Force charged with raising funds for construction of the Pittsburgh International Airport. He earned his bachelor's in business administration from Robert Morris University, and earned his graduate certificate from the National School of Finance and Management at Fairfield University. Audo lives with his family in Hampton Township, where he is a longtime resident.

Audo joins the following Pennsylvania Private Banking Region team members:

• David Lettrich, senior vice president, senior private banking relationship manager, is in his seventh year with Huntington. Lettrich, 47, has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, and earned his bachelor's in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives in Plum with his family.

• Ted Gouza, vice president, senior private banking relationship manager, has recently joined Huntington and will now lead private banking at the Sharon Private Financial Group office. A 15-year private banking and wealth management veteran, Gouza, 39, holds his Certified Wealth Strategist designation from the Cannon Financial Institute, and earned his bachelor's in business administration from Geneva College. He lives in New Castle with his family.

• Bill Garvey, vice president, senior private banking relationship manager, joined Huntington three years ago. Within his 23-year banking career, Garvey has served in both private banking and commercial banking capacities. Garvey, 45, earned his bachelor's of business administration from Grove City College and his master's in business administration from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He lives in Mt. Lebanon with his family.

Huntington opened its Erie and Sharon Private Financial Group offices in March and its Titusville location in December. In addition to Pittsburgh, Beaver and New Castle, the new offices are located at:

• 100 State St., Suite 420, Erie, Pa. 16507
• 1 E. State St., Sharon, Pa. 16146
• 127 W. Spring St., Titusville, Pa. 16353

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (Nasdaq: HBAN) is a $52 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Through its affiliated companies, Huntington has been providing a full range of financial services including checking, loans, savings, insurance and investment services to customers for 144 years. Huntington has more than 600 banking offices. Huntington also offers retail and commercial financial services online at huntington.com; through its telephone bank; and through its network of over 1,300 ATMs.

SOURCE Huntington Bancshares Incorporated