Patty Steelman Awarded CFMP Designation

Jacksonville, TX, November 9, 2009 – Patty Steelman, Vice President / Director of Marketing for Austin Bank, was recently awarded the Certified Financial Marketing Professional (CFMP) designation from the Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB), a subsidiary of the American Bankers Association, in Washington, DC.

Steelman has more than 27 years of marketing and advertising experience. She is a graduate of the 2002 American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado, the 2009 ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management at SMU, Austin Bank Leadership Class V, and Leadership Tyler Class 19. Steelman is a current Board Member of the Literacy Council of Tyler, the Better Business Bureau of Central East Texas, and member of the Tyler Executive Women’s Network. She is the 2007 / 2008 Past Board President of the Literacy Council of Tyler and 2007 Chair of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life of Tyler/Smith County. In 2006, Steelman received the Austin Bank Community Involvement Award recognizing her volunteer service with the Literacy Council of Tyler.

Steelman joined Austin Bank as Director of Marketing in 1999. Austin Bank is a community bank with more than $1 Billion in assets. Headquartered in Jacksonville, TX, Austin Bank serves the needs of East Texas families and businesses with 28 locations in 18 cities. Austin Bank is locally owned and operated by the Austin Family who is celebrating 100 years of service in the banking industry. More information about Austin Bank can be found on the bank’s website at www.austinbank.com.

The CFMP designation is awarded to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the field of financial services marketing. To qualify for the CFMP certification, individuals must have certain levels of experience and education in the financial marketing profession, pass an exam, and agree to abide by a code of ethics. The CFMP exam covers many areas including financial principles, laws and regulations, market research, characteristics of marketing plans, and marketing components.

Financial services professionals, working through the Institute of Certified Bankers, initiated the CFMP designation and eight other designations in order to establish meaningful standards of knowledge in specialty areas of the financial services industry. ICB certifications formally recognize those who meet these standards and promote professional continuing education and development.

The ICB, with 8,000 certified members, provides financial services professionals with confidence, credibility and recognition through its certifications. As a subsidiary of the American Bankers Association, ICB promotes the highest standards of performance in the financial services industry by validating individuals’ knowledge and expertise. For more information about the Institute of Certified Bankers and its professional certifications, call 202-663-5092 or visit www.aba.com/icb.