Pub. 11 2014 Issue 1

O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S 18 BANKERS ON THE MOVE ASSOCIATE MEMBERS ON THE MOVE NMBA Partners on the Move Bank of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Bank if Albuquerque is pleased to announce the appointment of Kenneth DeBettignies as Vice President and Relationship Man - ager in The Private Bank. DeBettignies joined Bank of Albuquerque in March 2013, as a mortgage loan officer. DeBettignies has more than 25 years of financial services experience in retail, commercial and private banking, and served as an Associate National Bank Examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. DeBettignies holds a BBA in Finance from University of New Mexico, is a member of the board of directors and development committee member for El Ranchitos de Los Niños, and a member of the finance committee for Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless. DeBettignies will serve as a consultant and advisor for Bank for Albuquerque’s Private Bank clients, including business professionals, individuals and families with complex financial needs. David J. Garcia has been promoted to senior vice president and Regional Manager in the mortgage division. Garcia joined Bank of Albuquerque in February 2010 as assistant vice president and Branch Sales Manager in the Mortgage Department. Garcia has more than 30 years of experience in mortgage lending. Prior to joining Bank of Albuquerque he was vice president and branch manager at Charter Bank. Garcia’s community involvement in - cludes membership in the NewMexico Mortgage Lenders Associ - ation where he was former chair of the Legislative Committee. He previously served as a committee member with Ronald McDonald House and Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico. Centinel Bank of Taos Rebeca Romero-Rainey , CEO and board chairwoman of Centinel Bank of Taos, has been nominated to become vice chair - man of the Independent Community Bankers of America, a post that will put her on track to chair the trade association in 2016. Romero-Rainey is among a slate of officers and board members expected to be confirmed at the ACBA national convention in March. If confirmed, she will become the youngest chairman of the 84-year-old association, the third woman to chair the ICBA and the first minority chairman. First National Bank of Santa Fe First National Bank of Santa Fe welcomes Eric J. Letendre , CFA, as senior trust and investment officer based at the 1672 Hospital Dr. location in Santa Fe. Letendre has over 25 years of experience in trust and financial services. In his new position, he is primarily responsible for providing trust administration, financial planning advice, and solutions for high-net worth clients, trusts, entrepre - neurs, retirees, and endowments with the bank’s customary high level of expertise and personal attention. Letendre received a BA degree with a double major in history and modern languages from the Virginia Military Institute and earned an MBA degree from the University Of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is a member of the CFA Institute. He is a retired US Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel. In May 2013, First National Bank of Santa Fe became part of El Paso, TX-based Strategic Growth Bancorp Incorporated (SGB) family of four community banks. First National Bank of Santa Fe is the largest bank by asset size in the holding company. SGB is a $1.9 billion-asset bank holding company, according to the FDIC. Wells Fargo Bank, NA Wells Fargo & Company in Albuquerque announced that Brett Welcher has been named communications consultant for the NM/Western Border Region. Based in Albuquerque, he will direct communication across NM and El Paso, TX, a region that has over 2,000 team members and 107 banking stores in 53 communities. Welcher holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University. n SWACHA Dennis Simmons , CEO of SWACHA, has announced he will retire from his position as of December 31, 2014, after 18 years with the association. Dallas-based SWACHA is one of the largest electronics payments associations in the county. Simmons, 65, joined SWACHA in 1996 as director of training and education. He was promoted to president and CEO in 2001. Under his leadership, SWACHA has broadened its membership base to include approx- imately 1,000 financial institutions throughout TX, LA, NM, GA, and several other states. Before joining SWACHA, he served as a senior operations officer for a Dallas community bank. As part of the SWACHA leadership transition, Laura Steele has taken on the title of president and COO. Steele, 52, was previ - ously executive vice president and COO of the organization. She joined SWACHA in 2013 and is a veteran of the financial services industry with more than 20 years of experience, including service with MasterCard and JPMorgan Chase. n Tinnin Law Firm Marshall G. Martin has recently joined the Tinnin Law Firm as Counsel. Martin authors the Blog, New Mexico Banking Lawyer and has regularly assisted the NMBA in providing legislation and litigation review and advice. Both Bob Tinnin and Marshall Martin has spoken at education programs of the Association. Martin’s email is mmartin@tinninlawfirm.com and the office phone is 505-768-1500. n