PALM BEACH, FLA. – IronStone Bank will enter Palm
Beach County this fall and has hired veteran banker Warren Smith to lead
the new market.
“We are extremely excited about moving into this
vigorous, growing market,” said Jim Pope, president of IronStone Bank.
“It’s a natural extension of our growth strategy in Southeast
Florida.”
Warren Smith, a 31-year banking veteran, has been named
area executive for Palm Beach County. Smith and his team are currently working
out of interim offices in Palm Beach Gardens at 3300 PGA Blvd. Later this
fall when renovations are complete on IronStone Bank’s area headquarters,
they will relocate to 3250 PGA Blvd.
IronStone Bank established a presence in Southeast Florida
in 2001 when the company entered Fort Lauderdale. The bank has experienced
significant growth since it entered the Florida market in 1998. Currently
the bank operates 15 offices in Florida and has 19 offices in the Atlanta
metro area, where its Eastern region headquarters are located. IronStone
Bank also operates a Western division in Arizona, Texas and California.
New markets have been announced in Denver, Colo.; Seattle, Wash.; Portland,
Ore.; and Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.
Smith is excited about the leadership opportunities at
IronStone Bank. “It’s a company that works hard to develop long-term
customer relationships to help individuals and businesses achieve their
financial goals,” Smith said. “I have been impressed by IronStone’s
common sense approach to banking and its focus on integrity and consistency
— that’s what sets IronStone apart.”
Smith brings 31 years of banking experience to IronStone.
The Connecticut native received his MBA from Babson College in Wellesley,
Mass., and his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University
of New Haven in Connecticut. He is a member of the Board of Overseers at
Babson College, a member of the Chamber of the Palm Beaches, a member of
the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Business Development
Board of Palm Beach.
“We are extremely excited to have someone with
Warren’s experience leading the way for IronStone’s entry into
Palm Beach County,” Pope said. “He has experience in virtually
every facet of banking and management and has extensive knowledge of the
Palm Beach market.”
IronStone Bank has more than $1.2 billion in assets and
focuses on building and serving longstanding relationships with individual
customers, small- to mid-sized businesses, professionals and the medical
community. In addition to its branch offices, customers can access financial
services through the Bank’s Customer Contact Center at 1-866-423-4732
(1-866-IB DIRECT) and through the web at ironstonebank.com.
The company is a subsidiary of First Citizens BancShares
Inc. (Nasdaq: FCNCA) a $12.7 billion financial holding company based in
Raleigh, N.C. First Citizens BancShares’ lead subsidiary is First
Citizens Bank, which opened its first office in 1898 and has 337 branches
in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
For more information, contact:
Barbara Thompson
(919) 716-2716
IronStone Bank
