The Bank of Monroe announced this week Ralph Mann has tendered his resignation and will retire effective Oct. 30. James L. King of Maxwelton, currently Vice President & Loan Officer, will assume the role as President and CEO.
Mann has been the bank’s President and Chairman of the Board since 1981. After serving in the Navy in WWII, he joined the bank in 1949 as an assistant cashier. Throughout his tenure, the bank has experienced significant growth and expansion. His important contributions to the banking industry have been well noted, as Mann was named Banker of the Year by the West Virginia Bankers Association in 2006.
“I am grateful to have spent nearly 65 years with this great bank, serving the citizens of southeastern West Virginia, and am deeply honored to have had the opportunity to lead it for the last 32. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together during years of both successes and challenges,” said Mann. “I am now looking forward passing the torch to Mr. King. With his decisive guidance, personal style and extensive experience, I am confident about the direction the bank will go under his leadership.”
James L. King has 24 years banking experience, has held various management positions at other financial institutions and was most recently a Bank Examiner with the WV Division of Financial Institutions before joining the Bank of Monroe in February of 2013.
“I am humbled and excited by this opportunity to lead The Bank of Monroe, particularly during a time of profound opportunity,” explains King. “I am honored to be chosen to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Mann and will work diligently to maintain the community banking philosophy that has made The Bank of Monroe a success.”