South State Bank Names State & Regional Presidents, Adds Commercial & Treasury Talent

(COLUMBIA, S.C. — Jan. 9, 2020) South State Bank today announced presidents of North Carolina and Virginia, in addition to two regional presidents. The bank continues to build its Commercial and Treasury teams with the addition of six seasoned bankers.

“Our significant presence in the four states we serve has created the need for increased regional focus, and we continue to attract and promote top talent to serve our commercial and treasury customers,” said Greg Lapointe, South State Bank president.

Robert Cowgill has been named president of Virginia. Since joining South State in 2014, Cowgill has held positions of increasing influence and responsibility within the bank, including Richmond market president. He is a graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, holds a master’s in business administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and is also a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Cowgill currently serves on the board of directors for both the United Way of Greater Richmond and Sportable Adaptive Sports.

Jay Reagan has been named president of North Carolina. Reagan has held numerous positions with the bank, including regional president and, most recently, a director position within the Commercial Bank. A graduate of Clemson University and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, Reagan worked for BB&T and Carolina First before joining South State in 2006.

Jay Lasater has been promoted to Wilmington region president. Most recently, he was the city executive and commercial banking manager in Columbia. He joined South State in 2013 as a commercial bank executive. Lasater previously served as Midlands regional market president with Synovus. He holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Dale Zeglin joins South State as Grand Strand region president. Most recently serving as business banking manager for Wells Fargo, Zeglin has worked in the banking industry since 1984. He began his career as a Bank of America branch manager upon graduating from the University of South Carolina – Coastal with a bachelor’s in business administration. Zeglin later graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He volunteers his time with the United Way of Horry County, Junior Achievement of Greater SC and Myrtle Beach Community Church.

To serve the needs of the wide variety of commercial and treasury customers South State supports across the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia, the bank has added the following team members:

Matt Cotner, middle market banker – Greenville, joined South State in 2019 following five years as commercial banking relationship manager with SunTrust. Upon graduating from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina with his MBA, Cotner began his banking career with South Financial Group in 2004. He serves on the Greenville Police Foundation, is a graduate of Leadership Greenville and a member of the Rotary Club of Greenville.

Ben Hagood, commercial banker – Anderson, is a 40-year veteran of the financial industry, most recently working as a senior commercial lender with TD Bank. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Hagood serves as chair-elect of the Tri-County Technical College Foundation, as well as treasurer and president-elect of the Rotary Club of Anderson

Christopher Hobbs, middle market banker – Raleigh, most recently served as vice president of originations at SunTrust Equipment Finance and Leasing Corp., where he covered the Carolinas and Virginia. Hobbs graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s in business administration and finance. Hobbs brings 25 years of asset and equipment finance experience to the South State team.

Derek Raper, middle market banker – Midlands, joins South State after 14 years with Wells Fargo. A graduate of S.C. Bankers School, Raper holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lander University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Clemson University. He is a past board member of the Leadership Columbia Advisory Committee, City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Foundation, and Healthy Learners Board of Advisors.

Amy Roberts, senior Treasury Management sales officer – Charlotte, brings years of experience with Treasury Management after serving at both JPMorgan Chase and First Citizens Bank and Trust. She earned Top Producer status for five years in a row, followed by Top 10 Producer status for JPMorgan Chase in 2019. A Certified Treasury Professional, she received a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of North Carolina.

Barrett Slaughter, commercial banker – Grand Strand, was most recently a commercial banking relationship manager at Wells Fargo. He brings decades of experience in private banking and credit, in addition to his experience serving commercial clients’ treasury, deposit, lending, merchant services and practice finance needs.

South State Corporation (NASDAQ: SSB) is a financial services company headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, with over $15.7 billion in assets. South State Bank, the company’s primary subsidiary, provides consumer, commercial, mortgage and wealth management solutions throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia. South State has served customers since 1934. Additional information is available at SouthStateBank.com.