Building equity
When BB&T recruited Thomas Ransom, a Black economics student at Hampden-Sydney College, to join its management development program in the late 1990s, he quickly had to pick up the world of banking and its culture. The Urbanna native says he’d never met a banker before starting at BB&T and certainly didn’t know what moves to […]
Atlantic Union to acquire American National Bank
Updated 4:15 p.m. July 25 Richmond-based Atlantic Union Bank‘s parent company announced Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire American National Bankshares Inc., which is headquartered in Danville and is the holding company of American National Bank and Trust Co. The combined bank will have total assets of $23.7 billion as of […]
TowneBank hires chief risk officer, senior EVP
Suffolk-based TowneBank appointed Ernest Piccioli as senior executive vice president and chief risk officer, the bank announced Monday. Piccioli is based at TowneBank’s headquarters. As chief risk officer, he will be responsible for governance of the company’s risk programs and oversee risk management, vendor management, credit review and appraisal services. “Having Ernest aboard as [...]
NoVa chamber inducts Deb Gandy as next chair
Deborah G. “Deb” Gandy, senior managing director at Chevy Chase Trust Investment Advisors, was inducted as 2023-2024 chair of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Gandy, the first Black woman to chair the chamber, previously served as the chamber’s 2022-2023 vice chair and succeeds Matt McQueen, Peraton Inc.’s chief communications and engagement officer, […]
Blue Ridge Bank names CEO
G. William “Billy” Beale became CEO of Blue Ridge Bank National Association on Sunday, giving the bank a leader separate from that of its parent company, Charlottesville-based Blue Ridge Bankshares Inc. “I am excited to have the opportunity to join this team at a critical time in the banking industry,” Beale said in a statement. […]
Fed Fifth District economy shrinks slightly
The economy in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) has contracted slightly since March, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic conditions g[...]
Barkin: Raising interest rates is correct course
As inflation remains high and the fallout from recent bank failures seems contained, the Federal Reserve Bank has good reason to continue raising interest rates, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Thursday in a speech to the Virginia Council of CEOs at the University of Richmond. “It is worth remembering that not […]
Layne, Perry named to TowneBank corporate board
Suffolk-based TowneBank has named Aubrey L. Layne Jr., executive vice president of governance and external affairs for Sentara Healthcare, and Suburban Capital founder and CEO Christopher Perry to its corporate board of directors, the bank announced Tuesday. Layne, who chairs the Virginia Port Authority’s board of commissioners and formerly served as state secretary of finance […]
Va. bankers say they’re not worried by SVB collapse
Last weekend was pretty tense for bankers, even for those leading institutions quite distant and different from Silicon Valley Bank, which Friday became the second largest bank to fail in U.S. history. Federal regulators shut down SVB after a run on the bank. By Sunday, regulators also shut down New York’s Signature Bank, which became […]
TowneBank announces three promotions
TowneBank has promoted two presidents to new roles and appointed a president for its new region, the Suffolk-based bank announced Monday. Robin Cooke now serves as the president of retail banking. She was formerly president of the bank’s Portsmouth/Suffolk region, a role that C. Ross Morgan will fill in addition to maintaining his current role […]
Members only
Credit unions in Virginia would like to grow their membership, but a rule change relaxing the state’s policy is not in the cards this spring. This year’s short General Assembly session — in an election year with a split legislature — makes it harder to pass bills with any controversial elements, and any major expansion […]
State’s oldest bank to trade on Nasdaq
In 1858, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association bought George Washington’s former home, seeking to preserve the historic estate for a country on the brink of civil war. A key player in this transaction was Alexandria-based Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co., which also protected the association’s assets during the Civil War. Now, the 171-year-old […]





















