SunTrust Banks, Inc. is opening Commercial Banking representative offices in the Midwest and Southwest regions, naming market presidents in Ohio and Texas. These new representative offices complement a number of SunTrust business lines that serve clients nationally, including corporate and investment banking through SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (STRH) and commercial real estate.
“We see a gap in the commercial banking space, where many businesses have been underserved and need access to capabilities beyond a loan – like M&A advisory, capital markets, and treasury management,” said Allison Dukes, Commercial Banking executive at SunTrust. “SunTrust has the capabilities of a full-scale corporate and investment bank, partnered with the deep local knowledge of commercial bankers that together can help businesses achieve their growth objectives.”
Commercial Banking market presidents have been named for Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dallas–Fort Worth.
Joining SunTrust as Cleveland market president is Jim Geuther. Geuther has 30 years of commercial banking and private wealth experience and most recently served as managing director and regional president for northeast Ohio at JPMorgan Chase, where he focused on clients in the middle market segment.
Ben Willingham joins SunTrust as Cincinnati market president, with 30 years of corporate and commercial banking and middle market banking expertise. Willingham most recently served as a senior vice president and senior relationship manager at U.S. Bank.
Julia Harman, who most recently served as a managing director in Southwest Corporate Banking at STRH, has been appointed Dallas–Fort Worth market president. Harman has more than 15 years of corporate and investment banking experience, and has held commercial and corporate banking roles with Fifth Third Bank, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase.
These leaders will oversee additional investment in Commercial Banking for these markets and will facilitate delivery of a comprehensive suite of products and services to business clients, along with focused commercial industry expertise. In addition, they will coordinate the delivery of the investment banking and capital markets capabilities offered by STRH to commercial clients. STRH capabilities include capital raising, risk management, and strategic advice.
“These new market presidents will help us deliver on our purpose of Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being for our commercial clients in the Midwest and Southwest,” added Dukes. “They were chosen because they align to our culture and have the ability to offer client-focused advice, demonstrated strength in working across lines of business, as well as deep knowledge of their markets.”