Sterling CIO Wallis McMath Announces His Retirement; Deborah Dinsmore to Become Chief Operations & Information Officer

HOUSTON, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sterling Bancshares, Inc.'s (Nasdaq: SBIB) wholly-owned subsidiary Sterling Bank announced that its EVP & Chief Information Officer Wallis McMath plans to retire effective December 31, 2010.  At the same time, the bank announced the promotion of EVP & Director of Operations Deborah Dinsmore to Chief Operations & Information Officer.  Dinsmore will assume responsibility for the bank's information systems and facilities, and McMath will remain with the bank through the end of the year to assure a smooth transition of responsibilities and projects.  

"Wallis was instrumental in the development and implementation of our high-security data center, system redundancies and state-wide computer network," said Sterling Chairman, President & CEO J. Downey Bridgwater.  "His work and expertise substantially expanded and improved all aspects of our information systems, and we appreciate Wallis's significant contributions to the bank during his tenure with Sterling."

Bridgwater said the bank is fortunate to have an experienced senior manager like Dinsmore who can seamlessly assume responsibility for IT.  "Deborah has been with Sterling Bank since 1996," he said, "and she has effectively managed substantial parts of our infrastructure for many years.  Her experience within our IT group and her motivating leadership style make her the perfect person to carry on Wallis's work and take Sterling to the next level."

McMath joined Sterling Bank in 2006 after serving as chief information officer for First American Bank in Bryan and overseeing the conversion of First American's applications and customer data to Citibank.  He brought extensive experience in networked and remote terminal data systems, having previously served as senior vice president of AMS, a comprehensive software system for independent insurance agents, and as president and CEO of Managed Network Solutions, Inc.  At Sterling Bank he oversaw IT, including data security, software development, the bank's real estate and facilities services, as well as business continuity.

Sterling Bancshares, Inc., is a Houston-based bank holding company with total assets of $5.0 billion that operates 58 banking centers in the greater metropolitan areas of Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. The Company's common stock is traded through the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "SBIB." For more information on Sterling Bancshares please visit the Company's web site at http://www.banksterling.com.

SOURCE Sterling Bancshares, Inc.