Countybank associates receive Officer appointments

Countybank is pleased to announce that Lori Bell, Brandon Calhoun, Sherri Scearce, and Rich Vaughan have been appointed Vice President; Joe Keaton, and Heather McGee have been appointed Assistant Vice President; and Shelley Shealy and Julia Simmons have been appointed Banking Officers by the Countybank Board of Directors.

Bell joined the Countybank Mortgage team in 2015, and Vaughan, Keaton, and McGee joined the team in 2010. Bell, Mortgage Operations and Support Team Manager, manages the performance of mortgage operations staff and ensures full compliance with the Bank’s processes and mortgage regulations. Calhoun, Mortgage Sales Manager, and Vaughan, Mortgage Loan Originator, are both responsible for originating first mortgage loans, promoting the bank and its lending services to the real estate community, and helping identify and serve the community’s financial needs.

“Lori brings a history of mortgage leadership to the Countybank team. She applies her knowledge and work ethic to her position, and her experience as a senior underwriter helps our underwriting team and provides the feedback they need to make quality credit decisions,” said JD Nelson, Senior Vice President and Mortgage Division Manager for Countybank Mortgage. “Brandon has been a leader for Countybank Mortgage for many years. He has exemplified ownership in reaching team goals as well as his personal goals each year. His knowledge of the culture at Countybank, as well as the mortgage industry as a whole, is invaluable to the team.

“Rich has a long history with Countybank dating back to the days of First Palmetto Mortgage (acquired by Countybank in 2010),” said Nelson. Rich has shown the ability to be a leader in production for many years. He also displays and lives the culture created at Countybank and is well loved by his clients as modeled by the referral-based business he has built over the years.”

Keaton, Senior Mortgage Underwriter, is responsible for rendering decisions on credit applications for first mortgage loans, applying an understanding of established GSE, FHA, VA, USDA and investor guidelines, fair lending, and all other regulatory requirements, while utilizing prudent underwriting judgment and experience. And McGee, Mortgage Compliance Manager, is responsible for developing and updating the compliance program as set out by management to ensure the mortgage department complies with applicable laws and regulations as related to mortgage lending.

“Joe has more than 30 years in lending business and has had many roles in his career, but he has flourished in his role as Underwriter for the mortgage team. Joe is a tireless worker who is very detail oriented, which helps him excel in his role,” said Nelson. “Heather has been with Countybank for almost 20 years and has also held many roles within the organization but has flourished in her position. Heather is patient, works diligently to educate herself on the many facets of compliance, and does a super job of creating systems and processes to aid the mortgage division in this area.

Scearce, SBA Administrative Manager, joined the bank in July 2022. She is responsible for supporting and managing loan processing and closings as well as the portfolio management and loan compliance efforts of the Bank’s SBA department. Shealy and Simmons, Financial Center Team Leads for Countybank’s downtown Greenville and Greer financial centers respectively, joined the bank in 2017. Shealy and Simmons are both responsible for overseeing the efficient operations, sales, and overall performance of the retail branch team as well as meeting individual consumer loan and deposit production goals.

“Julia has played an important role in the growth of our Greer Market and is a key member of the team,” said Whitney. “Some of the qualities I appreciate most about Shelley are her knowledge of our processes and procedures, her high level of integrity, and her willingness to pitch in wherever she is needed. Shelley is not only a valuable teammate in our McBee financial center, but in our organization as a whole.”