Bank of the West announced that John Evans, Senior Vice President and Manager of Vendor Finance, will succeed Jerry Newell as Manager of the bank's Equipment Finance Division effective March 1st.

Since joining the bank in 2005, Evans has been instrumental in driving the growth of Bank of the West's vendor finance business. Additionally, he designed and managed a successful joint marketing program with BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions. Evans has partnered closely with Newell, who announced his plans several months ago to retire following more than two decades with Bank of the West.

"John has a deep understanding of the business and is well positioned to continue the bank's focus on our clients' growth. He has worked closely with Jerry for many years, and his appointment speaks to the depth of the bench of talent at Bank of the West," said Senior Executive Vice President Jean-Marc Torre, Head of Bank of the West's Commercial Banking Group.

Torre continued, "John's expertise will be a strong asset in executing our vision of becoming a Top 10 U.S. bank leasing company and expanding the Equipment Finance Division's recognition in the international vendor finance business."

Evans has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the direct origination and vendor finance segments of the equipment leasing industry. Before joining Bank of the West, Evans was the Managing Director of Philips Medical Capital from 2002 to 2004. Prior to that he worked for DeLage Landen Financial Services (DLL), a subsidiary of Rabobank, BankBoston and BayBanks. He earned an MBA in Finance from Babson College and an AB in History from Syracuse University.

Newell has managed the bank's Equipment Finance Division for 18 years. During his tenure, Bank of the West has grown equipment finance from a California-focused business with $35 million in lease outstandings to a nationwide, multi-channel business with $3.6 billion in lease and loan outstandings and ranked as the 12th largest U.S. bank leasing company by volume.

"Jerry's smooth and consistent management style, precision in setting and achieving targets, unique blend of deep experience and fresh insight, and utmost professionalism have been great assets for Bank of the West," Torre said. "We thank Jerry for his contributions to our business and wish him all the best."

Founded in 1874, $63 billion-asset Bank of the West, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, offers a full range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees.