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12/20/07 - Uniti Names Paul (SeonHong) Kim President and CEO
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The board of directors of Uniti Financial Corporation (OTCBB:UIFC) today announced that Paul (Seon-Hong) Kim has joined the management team of the company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Uniti Bank, as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Kim was also appointed as a director of Uniti Bank, increasing the board to nine members.
Kim, 63, brings more
than 35 years of experience in commercial banking and is most widely recognized for his leadership as president and chief executive officer of Center Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:CLFC) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Center Bank. From September 1998 through 2006, Kim led the company through an extraordinary phase of growth and spearheaded Center Financial Corporation's listing on NASDAQ in 2002. Under Kim's leadership, Center Bank expanded its branch network from five to 17 full-service branch locations throughout Southern California, Chicago and Seattle, plus nine loan production offices located in concentrated populations of Korean-American small business owners.
Currently, Kim serves as an adjunct professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Northridge, instructing a "Management of Financial Institutions" course. He began his banking career in 1971 as a commercial loan officer for Korean Long Term Credit Bank in Seoul, Korea and was later promoted to division chief, business promotion department. From 1980 to 1986, Kim served as a senior vice president and branch manager at Pacific Union Bank, which was acquired by Hanmi Bank in 2004. In 1986, he joined Hanmi Bank and served in various roles of increasing responsibilities, including chief marketing officer, chief credit officer and chief financial officer over a 12-year tenure, before being named president and chief executive for Center Bank. Kim is a graduate of Seoul National University, and he earned his master's in business administration from the University of California at Berkeley.
"We are pleased to have such a proven community banking veteran join our team," said Michael S. Hyun, chairman of the board. "With the majority of his experience directly in Southern California, Kim possesses deep knowledge of the Korean-American community and commerce in the greater Los Angeles area. We believe his expertise will be an important asset to Uniti Bank, particularly given the challenges of today's financial markets. We welcome Paul and look forward to his leadership and guidance."
About Uniti Financial Corporation
Headquartered in Buena Park, California, Uniti Financial Corporation is the parent company of Uniti Bank, and is the only independent bank holding company headquartered in Orange County. Uniti Financial Corporation has assets in excess of $251 Million and operates 1 community bank with 3 banking offices located in Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California. The company specializes in providing personalized community banking services to individuals and small to mid-size businesses. Uniti Financial Corporation also offers the convenience of 24-hour access through ATM networks, telephone and on-line banking. Uniti Financial Corporation's common stock is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol UIFC. Additional information may be found at the Company's web site at www.unitibank.com.
Uniti Financial Corporation
Paul (Seon-Hong) Kim, 714-736-5701
President & Chief Executive Officer
or
PondelWilkinson Inc.
Angie Yang, 310-279-5980
ayang@pondel.com
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