Bell Bank has hired Steve Flaten as Senior Vice President/Credit Risk and Regulatory Affairs. In his role, Flaten serves as a liaison with all bank regulatory agencies and helps Bell with credit risk identification, measurement, and monitoring policies and practices. Flaten offices at Bell Bank in Maple Grove, MN,  and works across Bell’s divisions and regions.

“We’re very excited to have a person of Steve’s caliber and experience join us to establish this new role at Bell,” said Michael Solberg, Bell Bank’s President and CEO. “His years of experience in working with banks through the FDIC give him great insights and vast knowledge that will help us navigate the regulatory environment as we continue our rapid growth.”

Flaten earned a degree in banking and finance from the University of North Dakota and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Banking. He recently retired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) after a 33-year career.

Lucero to Lead Arizona C&I Team

Bell Bank has hired Tom Lucero as Senior Vice President/Commercial Banking C&I team leader for Bell’s Phoenix, AZ, metro locations. Lucero will office out of Bell’s Arrowhead location (scheduled to open in Peoria in March) and works with a team focused on services and lending for Bell’s commercial and industrial clients.

“We’re very excited about our growing footprint in Arizona,” said Kyle Kennedy, Bell’s Southwest Region President and Arizona Banking Director. “And we’re proud to hire an experienced banker of Tom’s caliber to help lead a key team for us in C&I banking and lending.”

Lucero has more than 31 years of experience in banking. Prior to joining Bell, he was a Principal Relationship Manager for middle-market commercial banking with Wells Fargo.