First Security Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSGI) announced today that Robert P. “Bob” Keller had been appointed to First Security’s board of directors and Joseph E. “Joe” Dell had been appointed executive vice president and chief lending officer.
Mr. Keller is a managing director of Triumph Investment Managers, LLC.
Officials said, "First Security and Triumph have partnered to explore avenues for the creation and restoration of shareholder value. Triumph is also working with First Security to refine and further develop a comprehensive business plan centered on relationship banking, with the goal of creating a profitable, diversified and core-funded community banking franchise."
Mr. Keller serves in leadership board positions with two financial institutions. He is the chairman of Security Business Bancorp, a community bank based in San Diego, Calif., and chairman of First State Bank, a community bank based in Cranford, N.J. Mr. Keller also serves as a director and chairman of the audit committee for Pennichuck Corp, a publicly traded water utility holding company in Nashua, N.H.
Prior to co-founding Triumph, he served as the president and chief executive officer of three financial institutions, all of which were in excess of $1 billion in assets prior to their sale.
“We are continuing to develop a close working relationship with Triumph,” said Ralph E. “Gene” Coffman, Jr., president and chief operating officer of First Security. “Bob’s addition enhances the leadership and banking experience on our Board of Directors as we re-engineer and refine our strategic direction.”
With three decades of experience in community banking, Mr. Dell has a strong background in commercial, small business and consumer lending and has held a number of leadership roles, officials said.
“We are extremely pleased to have Joe join our executive management team here at First Security; his management experience and expertise in lending and credit administration will be a tremendous asset to our bank,” said Mr. Coffman. “He strengthens our commitment to support the communities we serve in east Tennessee and north Georgia.”
Mr. Dell most recently served as chief lending officer for First Commonwealth Bank, a community bank in Indiana, Pa., with $6 billion in assets and 115 branches. In this role, he managed over 110 employees and consistently exceeded production and revenue goals.
“My first priority since starting at FSG was to meet all the lenders in our markets. In doing so, I see the tremendous opportunity to grow FSGBank in the markets we serve,” Mr. Dell said. “The most rewarding aspect of banking is being a business advisor to your customers and sharing in their success. In the coming weeks, we will be launching a lending campaign, and I look forward to meeting many of our current and future customers.”
Mr. Dell earned a master of business administration degree from Waynesburg College, a bachelor of science degree from Clarion State College and completed the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. An active community leader and volunteer, Dell has served in a number of roles including the Board of Directors for YMCA in Indiana County, Pennsylvania and campaign chairman of the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk.
About First Security Group, Inc.
First Security Group, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Chattanooga with $1.1 billion in assets. Founded in 1999, First Security's community bank subsidiary, FSGBank, N.A. has 36 full-service banking offices along the interstate corridors of eastern and middle Tennessee and northern Georgia. In Dalton, FSGBank operates under the name of Dalton Whitfield Bank; along the Interstate 40 corridor in Tennessee, FSGBank operates under the name of Jackson Bank & Trust.