TAMPA — The Bank of Tampa is expanding to Sarasota County. It opened a loan office this month in downtown Sarasota at 1858 Ringling Blvd., which will be converted to a full-service branch within the year, the company said in a release Monday.
At the helm of the new office is Charles Murphy, CEO of the former Sarasota-based Bank of Commerce.
"Charlie's understanding of Sarasota and his commitment to building a team of bankers with deep roots in Sarasota will offer us the opportunity to expand our brand of banking in the very attractive Sarasota market," said Bill West, president and CEO of The Bank of Tampa.
The Bank of Commerce's parent company filed for bankruptcy under his tenure in 2016 and was then bought by Arkansas-based Centennial Bank.
The Bank of Tampa has 11 locations throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and now Sarasota counties. It will open a Clearwater branch in 2018.
Contact Malena Carollo at mcarollo@tampabay.com or (727) 892-2249. Follow @malenacarollo on Twitter.