…And Then There's Bank of the West

New Mexico Business Journal, Nov, 2000

To close the deal, Wells Fargo was obliged to sell off 30 of First Security's branches in New Mexico and Utah. BancWest Corp., a bank holding company based in Honolulu, quickly stepped up to the plate. By the first quarter of next year, these branches--23 of which are in New Mexico--will carry the Bank of the West brand, which is well known in California (118 branches) and Oregon (30 branches), but certainly not here.

The bank recently named the folks who'll be running the New Mexico operation. They are George C. Stanfield, who'll be executive vice president and regional executive, and Loretta A. Quintana, who'll be regional manager. Both are long-time First Security employees in New Mexico. When compared to Wells Fargo (see first item), BancWest is a midget, with assets of $18 billion.