Jim Lynch Joins Southern States Bank Board of Directors

 ANNISTON, AL (February 17, 2017) – Southern States Bank is pleased to announce that Jim Lynch has joined its Board of Directors. Lynch is a founding partner of Patriot Financial Partners, a private equity investment fund focusing on investments in the community banking sector throughout the United States.  Patriot Financial Partners, through its affiliated investment funds Patriot Financial Partners II, L.P. and Patriot Financial Partners Parallel II, L.P., is the lead investor of Southern States Bancshares, Inc.

Lynch has more than 40 years of banking experience. Prior to Patriot Financial Partners, Lynch served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Mid Atlantic Division of Sovereign Bancorp.  He has also served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Summit Bank in Pennsylvania and prior to that was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Prime Bank. He is currently a board member of Heritage Oaks Bancorp in California and past board member of Cape Bancorp and Cape Bank in New Jersey; Florida Business BancGroup in Tampa; and Palmetto Bancshares in Greenville, South Carolina.

“We are honored that Jim Lynch has joined our Board of Directors,” said Steve Whatley, Chairman, CEO and President of Southern States Bank.  “Jim is well-versed in community banking and with his extensive banking background; we are confident Jim will be a huge asset to our board and bank as a whole.”

A graduate of LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Lynch was a longtime member and immediate past Chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees. He is active in several professional and civic organizations and is a founding board member and chairman of LaSalle Academy, a private inner city elementary school serving economically disadvantaged children in Philadelphia.