COLUMBUS, OH--(Marketwired - October 22, 2015) - First Commonwealth Bank, the banking subsidiary of First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF), today announced the addition of Jason Baker, Market President, and Linda Tempesta, Mortgage Originator, for the central Ohio region. Baker will lead First Commonwealth's Corporate Banking efforts in central Ohio, serving as the primary business development officer and creating a cohesive operating unit for First Commonwealth in the region. Tempesta will work with borrowers, builders, and centers of influence in the area to originate residential mortgages.
On October 1, 2015, First Commonwealth announced the completion of its acquisition of Columbus, Ohio based First Community Bank. Through this acquisition, First Commonwealth established its first retail branch presence in Ohio, having first entered Ohio through a Corporate Banking Center in northeast Ohio opened in April 2014. Central Ohio residents can begin accessing First Commonwealth's products and services via branch locations at 4300 E Broad Street, 647 N High Street and 2121 Bethel Road in Columbus and 13760 Main Street in Sedalia.
"Both Jason and Linda have strong reputations and have built many professional relationships in the Columbus area," said Jane Grebenc, President of First Commonwealth Bank. "We pride ourselves on providing a broad range of lending, deposit, and treasury management solutions with excellent service to our customers, and Jason and Linda, along with the former First Community Bank team, will enable us to better serve customers in central Ohio. They will be integral to driving our expansion in the region."
Most recently, Baker was a Senior Vice President and Market Executive for an Ohio-based regional community bank, responsible for all aspects of commercial banking for Columbus and the surrounding six county area. He managed a portfolio of commercial and industrial loans, as well as commercial real estate. Baker managed activities to cross-sell retail, business banking, insurance, and trust and investment products to his clients. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions at the former National City Bank and First Bremen Bank. Baker completed his bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government and his MBA at Ohio University.
Tempesta is a mortgage veteran with over 20 years of experience in central Ohio. She has been an originator throughout Columbus and the surrounding counties, with a special emphasis on construction lending. Tempesta graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Business Administration: Finance and Real Estate.
About First Commonwealth Financial Corporation
First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania, is a financial services company with $6.3 billion in total assets and 111 banking offices in 17 counties throughout western and central Pennsylvania and central Ohio, and a Corporate Banking Center in northeast Ohio. First Commonwealth provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking, mortgage, wealth management and insurance products and services through its subsidiaries First Commonwealth Bank and First Commonwealth Insurance Agency.