Premier Bank announced John Houpt has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer.

Houpt joined Premier Bank in April 2022 as Deputy Chief Credit Officer where he was responsible for credit underwriting, approval and portfolio administration. In his new role as Chief Credit Officer, Houpt is responsible for oversight of the Bank's established credit risk appetite, developing credit risk policies and strategies, credit delivery, portfolio management and leading the credit administration team.

“John has over 25 years of dedicated credit underwriting and credit administration experience with regional banks operating within our markets,” said Gary Small, President and CEO, Premier Bank. “His leadership skills and demonstrated knowledge in community banking is invaluable to the Bank as we position ourselves for future success.”

He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Real Estate and Management from the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business; as well as a Master of Business Administration in Corporate Financial Management and Real Estate from The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

“I am excited to join the Premier Bank leadership team,” Houpt said. “I will work to continue to uphold our strong credit culture and deliver local solutions to our clients while building relationships that make us truly a community bank.”