U.S. Bank has hired Michael Righi to lead its middle market commercial banking teams in the Pacific Northwest and to serve as the company's president for Northern California. Righi will be based in San Francisco.
In addition to serving as market president for Northern California, Righi will oversee commercial banking throughout the Pacific Northwest region. U.S. Bank Market Presidents Malia Wasson in Portland and Chris Heman in Seattle will continue in their leadership roles, reporting to Righi.
Righi succeeds Michael Walker, who recently took a new role leading corporate banking for U.S. Bank's western region. Walker is a veteran of the financial services industry, with more than 30 years of experience in commercial, corporate and investment banking. Walker joined U.S. Bank in 2005 and ran commercial banking in Northern California prior to taking a new leadership position within U.S. Bank's national corporate banking division.
"We are thrilled to welcome Michael Righi to U.S. Bank, and to congratulate Michael Walker on his new role in national corporate banking," said Elliot Jaffee, executive vice president and head of commercial banking at U.S. Bank. "Michael Walker has done a tremendous job in his role as president and the company will continue to benefit from his experience and leadership as he develops national business for our corporate banking team.
"Michael Righi's experiences in banking and his knowledge of the Bay Area and the Pacific Northwest make him an ideal person to ensure a smooth transition as we continue to grow U.S. Bank's presence in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest," said Jaffee.
"This is a great company with tremendous momentum given its reputation and strength in the industry," said Righi. "This is a historic time for banking, and I'm excited to have this opportunity to join U.S. Bank's leadership team as businesses rebound and look to strong financial partners to help them grow."
Righi comes to U.S. Bank from Bank of America, where he led the global commercial bank middle market banking teams throughout the Greater Bay Area and was also a dual employee of their investment bank. He holds a FINRA security licenses for the series 7, 24 and 63 designations, and will focus on delivering capital market solutions to middle market clients throughout the region.
A native of Seattle, Righi's 25 years of experience includes leadership roles with KeyCorp, several years with U.S. Bank's legacy company People's Bank in Seattle, as well as early years as a national bank examiner. Righi is a graduate of Seattle University and the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.