The board of directors of Cass Commercial Bank has appointed Dwight D. Erdbruegger the new president of the St. Louis-based bank.

Erdbruegger, 59, joins Cass after a 31-year career in commercial banking, the last 15 years spent with Commerce Bank. Most recently he was chairman of CBIEF, the equipment finance subsidiary of Commerce, where he was responsible for all equipment leases and loans across the franchise including the origination, contracting, booking, accounting and asset disposition functions.

He was also chief administrative officer for Commerce Bank East Group, with offices in Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

Erdbruegger succeeds Robert J. Mathias who will assume responsibilities as vice chairman. Mathias, 65, has been president of Cass Bank since 2008. The bank has thrived under his leadership, consistently ranking among the top-performing banks in the country, officials said.

Cass Bank is the commercial banking subsidiary of Cass Information Systems, Inc., a national provider of transportation, energy, telecom and waste invoice payment and information services.

Erdbruegger earned his bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.