Santander Appoints Jerry Plush As CFO And Maria Tedesco As Head Of Retail Banking

BOSTON, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Santander Bank, N.A. announced today the appointments of Jerry Plush as chief financial officer of Santander Holdings USA, Inc., the bank's U.S. holding company, and Maria Tedesco as managing director of retail banking for Santander Bank.

Both executives are based in Boston and report to Roman Blanco, president and CEO of Santander US. Plush is a member of the Santander Holdings USA management committee and Tedesco a member of the Santander Bank management committee.   

"Jerry and Maria bring deep local knowledge and experience that will complement our global reach and capabilities. Having Jerry and Maria on board makes us a stronger competitor across our current footprint.  I look forward to their contributions to developing Santander's US franchise," Roman Blanco said.

Prior to joining Santander, Jerry Plush was most recently president and chief operating officer of Waterbury, Connecticut-based Webster Bank, where he had also served as CFO and chief risk officer.  Plush has been active in community organizations, serving on the board of trustees of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network and as chairman of Junior Achievement of Southwest New England.

"Santander is one of the world's strongest, most profitable and most efficient banks. I look forward to helping the company achieve its goals for value-added growth in the U.S.," said Plush. 

Maria Tedesco served in a variety of positions at Providence-based Citizens Bank, most recently as group executive vice president and head of retail banking.  She brings to Santander more than 25 years of experience in retail and business banking in the U.S. northeast.  Maria is active in numerous charitable and professional organizations, including the Girl Scouts of America's Leading Women Event, Project Bread, and the Small Business Working Group.  In 2012, she was named one of the Most Powerful Team-Leading Women in Banking by American Banker. 

"I've admired the pace with which Santander has rolled out attractive new products and services to customers since the Bank's recent rebrand," said Tedesco.  "I look forward to being part of the team and continuing that focus on delivering best-in-class service and value to customers."

Both executives joined Santander this month.

About Santander

Santander Bank, N.A. is a top 25 retail bank in the United States by deposits.  Its main corporate offices are in Boston and it operates principally in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Santander's 9,469 employees serve its 1.8 million customers through the Bank's 706 branches, 2,084 ATMs, call centers, website and mobile app. Supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Santander in the United States is a wholly-owned, financially autonomous subsidiary of Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN), a global commercial and retail bank. For more information about Santander, visit www.santanderbank.com or call 877-768-2265.

SOURCE Santander