Responding to Growing Demand, Mechanics Bank Adds Resources for Affluent Clients

Business Wire

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mechanics Bank has expanded its resources for affluent clients, adding and promoting staff throughout the San Francisco, East Bay and Napa regions in response to growing demand for trust, investment, estate and retirement planning.

“We’re seeing increasing demand from our existing client base,” says Deberah Kelley, Executive Vice President and Director of Wealth Management. “This is one of the strongest economic regions in the country, and significant income growth and net worth is resulting in the need for broader financial services. With our focus on relationship banking, we aim to provide all the services they need in one convenient location.”

Ester Babakhanov joins the bank as a Vice President and Wealth Management Strategist in the San Francisco Office, providing estate and charitable planning for individuals and families, as well as corporate retirement solutions. Her more than 12 years in the financial industry have included working with J.P. Morgan Chase in San Francisco and Wells Fargo in San Francisco and La Jolla, CA. She is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and Skyline College.

James Hauer, JD, CTFA has transferred from the San Francisco Office to the North Berkeley Office, to meet the growing demand for trust services in Berkeley. He continues to serve as a Senior Trust Officer, helping families and individuals develop and implement complex estate plans. Mr. Hauer, who spent ten years in private legal practice before joining Mechanics Bank in 2007, is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and earned a JD with an emphasis in Estate Planning and Taxation from Gonzaga University School of Law. He is a Certified Trust Financial Advisor (CTFA).

Michael Shea joins the Oakland Office of Mechanics Bank as Vice President, Wealth Strategist. He will serve as a personal relationship manager for individual families and businesses, offering expertise and services in investment management, business succession planning, corporate stock option planning, insurance, retirement planning, charitable giving, and corporate retirement solutions. He previously was with WealthPLAN Partners and also served as a Senior Managing Director at an independent wealth management firm with over $500 million in managed assets. Mr. Shea graduated from Arizona State University.

Tina Papucci, CTFA, has been promoted to Vice President and Personal Trust Manager in the Oakland Office, where she provides services to help high net worth individuals and families manage complex trust and estate administration. Ms. Papucci, whose 30 years of service in the financial industry have all been with Mechanics Bank, is a Certified Trust Financial Advisor (CTFA) through the American Bankers Association and is an active member of the East Bay Estate Planning Council and East Bay Trust and Estates Lawyers Group.

Darren Peterie will serve in the Napa Office of Mechanics Bank as Vice President and Private Banker. Peterie, who has been with Mechanics Bank since 2007 in the Retail Banking division, previously was a Home Mortgage Consultant at Wells Fargo.

Ron Sparrow has been promoted to Vice President, Private Banking, in the bank’s Walnut Creek Office. Previously, he served two years as the manager of the San Rafael branch of Mechanics Bank. Prior to joining Mechanics Bank he spent 10 years as a Branch Manager at Citibank and First Tech Federal Credit Union. Mr. Sparrow is a graduate of Sonoma State University.

For more information, go to www.mechanicsbank.com.