Banc of California appoints Debora Vrana as Chief Communications Officer

Banc of California announced that Debora Vrana has joined its wholly owned subsidiary, Banc of California, in the newly created role of Executive VP and Chief Communications Officer. She will also join the Bank’s senior management committee and sit on the board of the Bank’s philanthropic foundation. Samantha Haugh, SVP of Marketing for Banc of California, will continue to lead marketing and report to Vrana. In July, Banc of California and PacWest Bancorp announced a merger, including a $400M equity raise. Following the closing and anticipated asset sales, the combined bank is expected to have approximately $36.1B in assets and more than 70 branches in California, as well as branches in Colorado and North Carolina. The combined bank will be based in Los Angeles and operate under the Banc of California name. The deal is expected to close later this year or early next year. Vrana most recently served as Chief Communications Officer for Los Angeles-based City National Bank, which she joined in 2007. Previously, Vrana was a journalist at the Los Angeles Times for more than a decade.