Samuel J. Burruano Jr. Named General Counsel of Financial Institutions, Inc.

WARSAW, N.Y., Dec. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI) (the “Company”), parent company of Five Star Bank, SDN Insurance Agency, LLC (“SDN”), Courier Capital, LLC (“Courier Capital”), and HNP Capital, LLC (“HNP Capital”), announced today that Samuel J. Burruano Jr. was named General Counsel. In addition to his duties as General Counsel, he will also continue to serve as Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary.

Burruano has provided legal advice to the organization for the past three years and worked closely with William L. Kreienberg, Chief Banking and Revenue Officer and former General Counsel, to prepare him to take on this role as the Company’s chief legal adviser. This planned organizational change enables Kreienberg to focus his full attention on leading the organization’s revenue and relationship-building businesses for banking, insurance and wealth management.

Chief Executive Officer Martin K. Birmingham said, “Over the past three years, Sam has proven to be a trusted and valuable resource. He brings more than 24 years of experience advising the finance industry on complex banking and lending matters and has the knowledge and experience to effectively lead our internal legal team. Bill has served as General Counsel since October of 2014 and I want to thank him for his guidance on all legal matters for the past five years, a time of significant growth and change for our organization. I believe that today’s announced changes will further advance the execution of our corporate and regulatory strategies in the complex and evolving financial services industry.”

Burruano joined Five Star Bank in October 2016 as Assistant General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Compliance. He was named Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in November 2018. Previously, he served as Assistant General Counsel at First Niagara Bank, NA and as Partner at the law firm Hiscock & Barclay, LLP.

Burruano earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Buffalo with a concentration in Finance and a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law. He is a director of the Niagara Frontier Association of Corporate Counsel and a member of the American Bankers Association where he has spoken on risk matters, National Association of Corporate Directors, Bank Director, Society of Corporate Governance, and the Erie County Bar Association.

About Financial Institutions, Inc.

Financial Institutions, Inc. provides diversified financial services through its subsidiaries Five Star Bank, SDN, Courier Capital and HNP Capital. Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities and businesses through a network of more than 50 offices throughout Western and Central New York State. SDN provides a broad range of insurance services to personal and business clients. Courier Capital and HNP Capital provide customized investment management, investment consulting and retirement plan services to individuals, businesses, institutions, foundations and retirement plans. Financial Institutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 700 individuals. The Company’s stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available at .

For additional information contact:

Shelly J. Doran

(585) 627-1362

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at