Ascendia Bank, formerly Glen Rock Savings Bank, has added two senior-level executives to its leadership team. Matthew Levinson has been named Ascendia Bank’s chief financial officer, and Ridgewood YMCA CEO Ernest Lamour has joined Ascendia’s board of directors.
As CFO, Levinson will oversee a broad range of internal finance-related responsibilities, including financial reporting, budgeting and management of the bank’s investment portfolio.
His diverse professional finance experience includes roles with banks, brokerage firms, futures commission merchants and trading companies. Most recently, he was first vice president/controller for Orange Bank & Trust Co. of Middletown, New York. Prior to that, he spent five years as EVP/CFO for Englewood Cliffs-based Bank of New Jersey.
Levinson is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of both the AICPA and NJCPA, and earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting at Ramapo College. He is also a volunteer fireman in his hometown of Park Ridge.
Meanwhile, Lamour, a decades-long management veteran, will help guide and deepen the institution’s longstanding commitment to the communities it serves.
Lamour has a history of maximizing the community impact of the organizations he leads or advises. At Ridgewood YMCA, where he’s served for five years, Lamour oversees strategic operations for the organization’s two branches and offsite program locations.
“Matthew comes to Ascendia Bank with demonstrated successes in all facets of accounting, including internal controls and financial reporting,” CEO and President Ferdinand “Fred” Viaud said. “Ernest will be a valuable voice on our board of directors, given his lengthy track record of stewardship and community advocacy. We welcome both new executives to the Ascendia Bank team.”
The executive team additions come as the bank debuts its new Ascendia Bank brand. The change was made, in part, due to the geographic expansion of the bank’s footprint well beyond its Glen Rock-area roots. In addition, the bank wanted to showcase a fresher, more forward-leaning brand image upon adding a range of products and services that are essential in today’s fast-paced economy. These include internet banking, online bill pay, a mobile banking application and commercial real estate lending.
