INTERVIEW:
About James:
James H. Sills, III is the President and CEO of M&F Bank, the second oldest African American Bank founded in 1907, and headquartered in Durham, N.C. Jim Sills has over 30 years of experience Banking, Risk Management, and IT. M&F Bank is a publically traded company (OTC: MFPB). M&F Bank is a regional community bank with total assets of $365 Million with seven branch locations in the 5 major markets in North Carolina.
Sills joined M&F Bank in September of 2014, and during his tenure, he has transformed the bank to be more relevant to the markets served. More specifically, he was instrumental in positioning the bank as a small business lender, rebranded the bank, cleaned up the balance sheet, upgraded the technology and positioned the bank to be a community partner that provides access to capital to grow the local economy. Under his leadership, the Bank’s stock price, asset growth, profitability and various metrics have improved each year. More recently, he was instrumental in attracting $18M in new capital from the four largest banks in the U.S which will allow the bank to continue to grow and expand.
Jim’s mission driven leadership is fueled through board service on the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (including membership on the IT and Audit and Risk Committees); Chairman of the North Carolina Bankers Association, representing the Nation’s 10th largest banking market; Chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) National Minority Banking Council; Executive Committee, NC Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the DEI Advisory Board; and FDIC Minority Banking Advisory Committee. As a local influencer, Jim is a member of the Board of Visitors - NC A&T State University and NC Central University.
Mr. Sills received a BA from Morehouse College and MPA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Banking School.