First Choice Bancorp Announces Promotion of Nicole Swain to Executive Vice President, Chief Banking Officer

CERRITOS, CALIFORNIA , Dec. 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Choice Bancorp, the holding company for First Choice Bank (the “Bank” or “FCB”), announced today the appointment of Nicole Swain to Executive Vice President/Chief Banking Officer of First Choice Bank, reporting to President & CEO Robert Franko.

Ms. Swain has a long-standing career in the banking industry, over 25 years, and has served as Senior Vice President/Chief Banking Officer for First Choice Bank since 2016. Nicole has been an integral part of First Choice Bank’s success, embracing the Bank’s motto to be First in Speed, Service and Solutions with all of her efforts.   

Mr. Franko said, “Nicole has been a tremendous force for the Bank over the last several years in attracting new clients and growing the Bank’s deposit and credit products and services.  I have worked with her for many years and have seen first-hand her commitment to her clients and the Bank as a whole.  We are very pleased to recognize her hard work and dedication with this promotion.”

Peter Hui, the Founding Chairman of First Choice Bank, stated, “Ms. Swain’s unending commitment to her clients is the perfect example of what the Bank is here to do.  This promotion is well-deserved as Nicole has consistently delivered results in a way that balances the needs of our customers, employees and the Bank.  FCB’s Board of Directors is pleased to acknowledge Nicole’s contributions and devotion to her clients.”

Ms. Swain was delighted to receive the promotion and stated, “I am deeply grateful for and enthusiastic about my new role.  First Choice Bank has provided me the opportunity to grow professionally and become extensively involved in the Commercial and Private Banking Sector, and I am excited to continue to help expand the Bank. With our recent merger and enhanced products and services, there’s no better time to be a customer of First Choice Bank.”

About First Choice Bancorp

First Choice Bancorp is the registered bank holding company for First Choice Bank. First Choice Bank, headquartered in Cerritos, California is a community-focused financial institution, serving diverse consumers and commercial clients and specializing in loans to small businesses, private banking clients, commercial and industrial (C&I) loans, and commercial real estate loans with a niche in providing finance for the hospitality industry. First Choice Bank is a Preferred Small Business Administration (SBA) Lender. Founded in 2005, First Choice Bank has quickly become a leading provider of financial services that enable our customers to grow, maintain strength, and achieve their business objectives. We strive to surpass our clients’ expectations through our efficiency and professionalism and are committed to being “First in Speed, Service, and Solutions.” First Choice Bancorp stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “FCBP”.

First Choice Bank’s website is .

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Except for the historical information in this news release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such risks and uncertainties include: the credit risks of lending activities, including changes in the level and trend of loan delinquencies and charge-offs, results of examinations by our banking regulators, our ability to maintain adequate levels of capital and liquidity, our ability to manage loan delinquency rates, our ability to price deposits to retain existing customers and achieve low-cost deposit growth, manage expenses and lower the efficiency ratio, expand or maintain the net interest margin, mitigate interest rate risk for changes in the interest rate environment, competitive pressures in the banking industry, access to available sources of credit to manage liquidity, the local and national economic environment, changes in interest rates, legislative/regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the United Sates government including policies of the United States Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Bank, the quality and composition of the loan and securities portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, demand for financial services in our market area, implementation of new technologies, our ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems, changes in accounting principles, policies and guidelines, and other risks and uncertainties.  Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. First Choice Bank and First Choice Bancorp undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

CONTACT

First Choice

Robert M. Franko, 562.345.9241

President & Chief Executive Officer