Sunwest Bank

Beginning during the latter half of the twentieth century, the Sunwest Bank, originally known as the Santiago Bank, founded by longtime banker James Engbarth, played a significant role in the evolution of regional banking, notably in Western states, where the company impacted local economies and facilitated banking innovation. Starting with a small-scale group, the bank focused on its goal of serving businesses in the community through economic development, and just over a decade later, changed its name to the Sunwest Bank in 1980. Continuing to gain more traction, the bank purchased several failed banks from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): the Metro Pacific Bank and Pacific Coast National Bank, both in California, First State Bank, the Westside Community Bank, and the Syringa Bank, all in varying states, notably shifting their legacy to becoming a regionally-serving bank focusing on midsize businesses, family offices, developers and investors, and furthering their goal of serving local entrepreneurs.