Rusnak named Sterling CFO
Patrick Rusnak has been appointed chief financial officer of Sterling Financial Corp.
If regulators approve the appointment, he will succeed Dan Byrne, who has held the position since Sterling was founded in 1983.
Rusnak is the former chief executive officer of AmericanWest Bank, which was taken private in December.
He joined AmericanWest in 2006 as chief operating officer. Previously, he had been COO of Western Sierra Bancorp, executive vice president for finance at Umpqua Holdings, and CFO of Humboldt Bancorp.
Sterling President Greg Seibly noted Rusnak's experience, and central role in the refinancing of AmericanWest.
"His expertise and resolve will benefit Sterling as our comnpany moves forward," Seibly said.
He also praised Byrne's contributions to Sterling, where he will continue as corporate development executive overseeing the Spokane bank's external growth and development.
