people on the move

Northwestern Financial Review, Mar 1-Mar 14, 2009

* Michael Solberg has been named president of State Bank & Trust of Fargo, N.D. The position was previously held by his father, Richard Solberg. Michael Solberg also continues as the bank's chief operating officer, while Richard Solberg remains involved with the company as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors.

Richard Solberg joined State Bank & Trust in 1982 and has overseen the bank's growth from a single bank at Fargo's Northport Shopping Center to 14 banking locations in 10 communities. State Bank & Trust is now the largest independently owned bank in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, with assets totaling more than $1.9 billion.

"As Michael has taken on more of the day-to-day responsibilities of bank operations, this is an appropriate time to make this change," said Richard Solberg. "We are transitioning our leadership to keep State Bank & Trust a strong and growing organization for many years to come."

"I feel blessed and excited to have the opportunity to follow in my dad's footsteps in the banking business, just as he did with my grandfather," commented Michael Solberg. "State Bank has an amazingly loyal customer base and world-class employees, which positions us to maintain our tradition of growth along with our high level of personal service."

A graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., and William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Michael Solberg joined Northern Capital Trust in Fargo in 2001 and was subsequently named the company's chief operating officer. After Northern Capital merged with State Bank of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo, Solberg was named State Bank & Trust's chief operating officer in 2004. He has been responsible for the company's daily operations in retail banking, commercial banking and trust and investments. He also has oversight of the bank's investments in consumer-driven health care companies, Twin Cities-based Lighthouse 1 and Fargo-based Discovery Benefits.

* Frank Fuller has been named president of Franklin National Bank, Minneapolis. He started his new job at the $118 million bank in January.

Fuller, 49, has worked at several banks during a 25-year career in banking, including: Vermillion State Bank, Vermillion, Minn., Wells Fargo, Associated Bank and KleinBank.

Fuller replaces Dorothy Bridges, who resigned last summer and is now president of a bank in Washington, D.C.

Franklin National Bank is part of the Sunrise Community Banks holding company, headed by David Reiling.

* Gary D. Ingle has been promoted to assistant vice president - commercial loans at Northeast Bank, Minneapolis. Ingle joined the bank in 1998 as a personal banker. After six months on the job, he transitioned to the finance and planning administrator position. A year and a half later, Ingle became a credit analyst and started working up the ranks in the credit department. He became a credit officer in 2004, followed by a commercial lending officer later that year. He has worked in the bank's Coon Rapids office and currently works in the Minneapolis office.

* Gerald E. Thomas, long-time correspondent banker with American Bank, St. Paul, Minn., has retired. Thomas has been a correspondent banker since 1963, when he joined Midway National Bank, which is now American Bank. Thomas, a former professional baseball player and outstanding athlete at the University of Minnesota, said when he came to work at Midway National he expected to be there for "five years and then get a real job."

Wells Fargo & Company named its eastern and western management teams for the combined commercial banking businesses of Wells Fargo and Wachovia Corporation, which now total $55.6 billion in loans and $28.8 billion in deposits. With 135 offices in 38 states, the group's 1,700 employees serve more than 18,000 relationships nationwide.

Now reporting to San Francisco-based Tim Sloan, head of commercial banking, commercial real estate, and specialized financial services, are Carlos Evans, head of Eastern Commercial Banking, and Perry Pelos, head of Western Commercial Banking. Evans was wholesale banking executive for the former Wachovia Corporation. He is based in Charlotte, N. C. Pelos was executive vice president and area manager for Wells Fargo Commercial Banking's Central Division. He is based in Minneapolis

Among those reporting to Pelos, are the following three new appointees.

Tim Billerbeck was named head of the Central Division (Iowa; Nebraska; Kansas City, Mo.; Midwest agribusiness, and beverage and environmental specialty groups). Billerbeck had managed the Iowa Commercial Banking office. He is based in Des Moines, Iowa.

Rich Kerbis was named head of the Midwest Division (Pittsburgh, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota). He was division manager for the Northeast region of the Wells Fargo Commercial Banking Group. Kerbis is based in Chicago.

Dave Golden was named head ofthe Mountain Division (Arizona, Colorado, and Utah). He was senior manager for Colorado and Utah. Golden is based in Salt Lake City.