Bank names top lending exec for Tampa, Central Florida markets

First American Bank's Tampa headquarters says the bank hired Tony Sasso as senior vice president for commercial lending. In the role, Sasso, according to a statement, will oversee business development in the bank's West Florida and Central Florida markets.

First American Bank is a privately held bank with more than $6 billion in assets. It primarily serves the Chicago, Miami, Tampa and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, markets.

The bank was founded more than 50 years ago as a combination of community banks serving the Chicago metropolitan area. The bank grew to become the largest privately held bank in Illinois, and with that growth came 61 locations across Florida, Illinois and Wisconsin, the bank says.

Sasso, a longtime Tampa banking executive, has more than two decades of experience in bank sales and management, the bank says.

As a business banking relationship manager for Fifth Third Bank, and later a commercial banking relationship manager at Woodforest National Bank, Sasso provided services to small and commercial businesses while overseeing business development.

"First American Bank has a strong focus on the local community, which allows us to offer more personalized solutions and attentive customer service," Sasso says in a Wednesday news release.

First American Bank says Sasso will work with small to mid-sized companies with revenues of up to $500 million, helping them meet financial goals.