First National Bank, Cortez announces leadership changes

First National Bank, Cortez announces leadership transition

The Journal

Steve Keetch, chairman of the board of directors at First National Bank in Cortez, has announced that Jim Muller will become bank president at the bank effective Jan. 1.

Ken Perry, who has served as president since July 2017, will remain continue to lead the bank’s agriculture lending program. Muller and Perry will continue to serve on the bank’s board of directors.

Muller, who has been with the bank since 2007, recently served as the bank’s executive vice president and senior loan officer, specializing in commercial lending.

Perry has been with the bank since 2013. During his tenure, he has grown the bank’s agricultural lending portfolio and strengthened overall operations at the bank through the expertise gleaned from 35 years in the financial services industry, a bank news release said.

With Muller moving into the president role, Cassie Alexander will step into the senior loan officer position. Alexander, currently vice president of commercial lending, has been with the bank since March 2019. As senior loan officer, Alexander plans to enhance loan products by expanding the specialized lending programs.