ALBANY, Ga., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Community Capital Bancshares, Inc. announced today that it has submitted an application with the Office of Thrift Supervision to form a savings bank in Charleston, South Carolina to be named Atlantic Bank & Trust. In June of this year, the Company opened a loan production office of Albany Bank & Trust, its lead bank, at 152 East Bay Street in the Old Historic District of Charleston, South Carolina. This location will be the home office of the new bank.
Albany Bank & Trust has purchased East Bay Capital Mortgage, a Charleston- based mortgage company, which will ultimately operate as a mortgage banking division of Atlantic Bank & Trust.
The proposed bank was initiated by three Charleston-area bankers, Hal Cobb, previously of RBC Centura, Dean Lang, previously of SouthTrust/Wachovia, and Chris Landers, previously of East Bay Capital Mortgage. The three men met in 1988 as freshmen at The Citadel and graduated together in 1992.
Cobb will serve as the proposed Bank's President. Cobb has eight years of banking experience and has held the title of City Executive in the past while working for a regional bank in Georgia. He also has experience in commercial lending and audits. With his Citadel degree, Cobb also holds an MBA from the University of South Carolina and a diploma from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.
Dean Lang will serve as Chief Lending Officer. With over 12 years of experience in banking, Lang has been involved in every aspect of the lending function, from retail to commercial to mortgage. He has experience with banks in the Charleston and Myrtle Beach markets. Lang holds an MBA from Charleston Southern University.
Chris Landers will serve as Chief Mortgage Officer. For the past six years, he has owned and operated East Bay Capital Mortgage, a mortgage brokerage company located in downtown Charleston that specialized in the constantly growing jumbo mortgage market. Landers has 12 years of financial experience in mortgage lending / management, which has led him to be active in the Historic Charleston Foundation, The Preservation Society and The School of the Building Arts.
The proposed bank's Board of Directors includes the following:
- John T. Chakeris, Esq., of Charleston who is an attorney and principal
partner of the Chakeris Law Firm. John Chakeris is the proposed
Chairman of the Bank. John is an attorney and owner of the Chakeris Law
Firm practicing primarily in the areas of construction litigation and
real estate transactional work. The Firm's construction practice
represents homeowners throughout coastal South Carolina.
- Brent A. Case, CCIM, of Charleston, a principal partner of Atlantic
International / Coldwell Banker Commercial, a commercial real estate
brokerage firm located in North Charleston. He is a graduate of Xavier
University, located in Ohio.
- Darrell L. Owenby, of the Isle of Palms, a former owner of several
Dominos franchises owner and current real estate investor and developer
in both commercial and residential properties. The Domino's Pizza
franchises he previously owned included 14 Charleston area locations.
- Thomas Bennett, of Charleston, is a principal partner of Carriage
Properties. A native of Charleston, Thomas began his career in
residential real estate over 30 years ago and has served on the
following local boards: Charleston Preservation Society, Charleston
Orphan House, Carolina Youth Development Center, Historic Charleston
Foundation and the Gibbes Museum of Art.
- Toya H. Green, Esq., of Charleston, is an attorney and partner/founder
of the Hampton Green Law Firm. Ms. Green currently serves as the
Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the South Carolina's Women
Lawyer's Association and is a member of the South Carolina Bar Real
Estate Practice Group. In addition, Mrs. Green has served on the
Executive Committee of the Charleston County Bar. Mrs. Green's civic
involvements include serving as the Chair of the Charleston Board of
Architectural Review, as well as serving on the Board of Directors for
the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry, and Trident United Way.
- June J. Bradham of Charleston is founder, owner, and president of
Corporate DevelopMint. She has spent the last 18 years leading non-
profit organizations fundraising efforts. Currently, Ms. Bradham
serves on the Executive Committees of the South Carolina State Chamber
of Commerce Board of Directors, The Citadel School of Business
Administration Advisory Committee, South Carolina Association of
Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO) Board of Directors, the Association of
Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Lowcountry Chapter's Board of
Directors, the Columbia College Board of Directors and the Governors
School for Science and Math Board of Directors.
- F. Thomas David, President of First Southern National Bank in
Statesboro, Georgia. David has over 25 years of banking experience and
has served on the Board of Directors of six different banks. Mr. David
graduated from the University of Georgia, and is also a graduate of the
Louisiana State University Banking School of the South and was an
instructor of the Georgia Bankers Association Commercial Lending
School. Mr. David presently serves on the Board of Trustees of Georgia
Southern University Foundation and the Ogeechee Technical College
Foundation. He is the Chairman of the Board of East Georgia Regional
Medical Center, Vice Chairman of the Board of Ogeechee Technical
College, President of the United Way of Southeast Georgia and Chairman
of the 2003-2004 United Way Campaign. He is on the Board of Directors
of the Statesboro-Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce and is a member of
the Rotary Club of Statesboro.
Along with Hal Cobb and Chris Landers, other Community Capital affiliates serving on the new bank's board are:
- Charles M. Jones, III, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors
of Community Capital Bancshares. Mr. Jones is also on the Board of
Albany Bank & Trust and Peoples Community National Bank in Breman, GA.
He also serves as CEO of Consolidated Loan and Mortgage Co.
- Robert E. Lee is the President of Community Capital Bancshares and of
Albany Bank and Trust and is proposed Vice-Chairman. Lee will be active
in the daily management and operation of the Charleston Bank. He is a
graduate of Columbus College, a High Honors Graduate of the University
of Wisconsin School for Bank Administration, and serves as a Trustee
for Darton College. He is a board member for the Methodist Youth Home
of Georgia and is involved with the American Cancer Society. He serves
as a Board member and member of the staff Parish Committee for First
United Methodist Church in Albany, GA. Lee has served as an Instructor
for the American Institute of Banking.
- John P. Ventulett, Jr. of Albany, Georgia, who is a Vice President and
Personal Lines Director of J. Smith Lanier Insurance Company and is an
Organizer of the holding company. He currently serves on the Board for
Community Capital Bancshares as well as Albany Bank and Trust the
holding company's Board of Directors.
The property, 152 East Bay Street, was purchased by Community Capital Bancshares in June of 2005. President Robert Lee explained, "opening a new bank in Charleston gives our company a way to further increase our holdings in the Southeastern United States while entering a new market. Community Capital's expansion philosophy includes looking at communities with good economic growth patterns. We are excited about the history of and opportunity to be in this market, while expanding our base in the southeastern United States.
Community Capital Bancshares is headquartered in Albany, Georgia, where the lead bank, Albany Bank & Trust, was formed in 1999. Community Capital Bancshares also operates Alabama Bank & Trust, which has locations in Auburn and Dothan, Alabama. The stock is traded on the Nasdaq Small-Cap Market under the symbol "ALBY".
