November 28, 2022

ServisFirst Bank Expands and Develops International Banking Department with Two New Hires

Maria Rose and Monika Brackin Join ServisFirst Bank

Birmingham, AL -

ServisFirst Bank, a subsidiary of ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS), announces the growth of their International Banking Department, led by Susanne Keough. Maria Rose joins ServisFirst Bank as Vice President, Trade Finance Manager, and Monika Brackin serves as Senior Letter Of Credit Specialist, Bank Officer.

“Under Susanne’s leadership, we are improving ServisFirst Bank’s international banking capabilities to best serve our clients with highly competitive products, while offering the best service in the industry,” states Paul Schabacker, ServisFirst Bank Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales Manager. “With the hiring of Maria and Monika, this department will continue to move our operations forward, providing superior service to our clients in their international business objectives.”

Since joining ServisFirst Bank in April 2022, Susanne Keough has been traveling throughout the ServisFirst Bank footprint to meet the Regional Banking teams, as well as clients and prospects who are doing international business, with the goal being to reach every region prior to year-end.

Keough has worked to centralize ServisFirst Bank’s letter of credit process into International Banking. As of September 2022, all letter of credit products are being transacted in the International Department including domestic Standby, international Standby, and international import/export including issuance, amendment, and Standby letter of credit auto-renewal processing.

Another strategic effort of the International Banking Department is engaging with the international banking community to stay abreast of industry innovation and regulatory matters including OFAC, Sanctions, Trade-Based Money Laundering/Fraud, De-risking, Trade Digitization, Blockchain, SWIFT ISO 20022, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), developments in Trade Finance, and other relevant trends.

Susanne Keough, Senior Vice President, International Department Manager
Susanne Keough serves ServisFirst Bank as Senior Vice President, International Department Manager. In this role, Keough leads sales and operations including trade finance, foreign exchange trading and operations, and international wires while supervising the administration of existing products and services.

Keough brings almost thirty years of international banking experience to the role. Prior to joining ServisFirst Bank, Keough was with Synovus Bank as the International Sales Consultant and Export Lending Manager after serving as Senior Vice President and Head of Global Trade Solutions with SunTrust Bank. She has also held positions with Citibank and Bank of America and served as the Export Finance Manager for the State of Georgia.

Keough is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a degree in International Studies and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Georgia State University with a concentration in Finance.

Maria Rose, Vice President, Trade Finance Manager
Maria Rose joins ServisFirst Bank as Vice President, Trade Finance. In this role, Rose supports all lines of business across the bank, utilizing her subject matter expertise to structure Standby and Commercial Letter of Credit. Additionally, she works closely with Bankers to help clients succeed in the global marketplace.

Rose has vast international banking experience which encompasses Treasury Management (cash management and foreign exchange trading), Correspondent Banking, and traditional Trade Services such as Letters of Credit, Bankers’ Acceptances, and trade related loans. Rose holds a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and speaks fluent Portuguese, French, Spanish, and English, and has good proficiency in Italian.

Monika Brackin, Senior Letter Of Credit Specialist, Bank Officer
Monika Brackin joins ServisFirst Bank as Senior Letter of Credit Specialist, Bank Officer. Brackin supports all lines of business across the bank, utilizing her subject matter expertise to structure Standby letters of Credit and support International Banking transactions.

Brackin has over 23 years of experience as a Senior Letter of Credit Specialist with Truist Bank. Her experience encompasses processing Commercial Letters of Credit, Standby Letters of Credit and Documentary collections. Brackin has an Associate degree from Berufsbildende Schule Bernkastel in Kues, Germany. She has taken a banking course with the American Institute of Banking in Atlanta, Georgia (Principles of Banking, Banking Today, and College Accounting), and is fluent in German.

For more information regarding ServisFirst Bank’s International Department growth, please contact Krista Conlin, Krista@KCProjects.net. For more about ServisFirst Bank, please visit www.servisfirstbank.com.