CresCom Bank is expanding in Wilmington. Its augmented loan production staff has now moved into the former Cape Fear Credit Union building the Charleston, South Carolina-based bank
purchased at the beginning of 2015.
In addition to buying the former credit union property in January for eventual use as a retail banking location, CresCom opened a Wilmington loan production office at about the same time.
That building, at 4710 Oleander Drive, has been renovated and now houses the loan production office, CresCom president and CEO David Morrow said last week. He confirmed the office’s recent move from its original location at 2030 Eastwood Road, Suite 4 as well as the addition of three lending professionals to the office.
Marshall Cooper is the office’s new commercial market executive and senior vice president. He will be responsible for leading the bank’s efforts in “developing profitable, quality loan and deposit relationships,” according to a news release from the company. Cooper, a graduate of University of North Carolina Wilmington, has worked with CresCom for the past nine years. Prior to joining CresCom, he served as the senior banking leader with Coastal Federal Bank and was a Bank of America branch manager.
Ronnie Burbank is the Wilmington office’s new vice president and commercial loan officer. His responsibilities include commercial loans and deposits growth as well as the development and maintenance of customer relationships, CresCom’s news release stated.
Most recently, Burbank was senior vice president for Bank of the Ozarks. His nearly 25 years of banking experience also includes serving as vice president at North State Bank, at Coastal Federal Bank and at Anchor Bank/Carolina First Bank, according to the release.
John Szalay is the office’s new mortgage loan originator, according to a separate announcement Monday. Szalay was formerly a loan originator for PrimeLending and has “extensive mortgage experience” from his time with Waterstone Mortgage Corp., CBC National Bank and Unity Bank, the release stated.
In terms of Wilmington-area bank history, CresCom is the newest owner of Waccamaw Bank’s former retail branches. When Whiteville-based Waccamaw went into receivership in mid-2012, First Community Bank of Virginia acquired its branch offices – all located in southeastern North Carolina and northwestern South Carolina – and ultimately closed Waccamaw’s one Wilmington branch on Kerr Avenue.
Last December,
CresCom announced it had acquired those branches from First Community Bank. In January, it opened the Wilmington loan processing office and officials announced that the Oleander Drive building would ultimately become a full-service retail banking branch.
Last week, Morrow confirmed those plans are still on track but said the bank’s recent focus had been on the opening of a retail branch in Greenville, South Carolina, and once that branch is sufficiently established, CresCom will move forward in Wilmington.
In the meantime, CresCom has named Jim Gonsman as the branch manager of its Holden Beach location, according to a news release Monday.
Gonsman most recently served as branch manager for PNC Bank in Southport and spent several years with Bank of America in its retail and business banking divisions, the release stated.
CresCom currently has 27 branch locations in North and South Carolina. It also owns and operates Crescent Mortgage Company which lends in 45 states.