Five Star Bank Names Two Community Development Off

─ Rosalie Rivera-Arzuaga is based in Rochester ─ Johnathan Graves is based in Buffalo

WARSAW, N.Y., March 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five Star Bank (“Five Star”), subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI ), announced two new community development officers today:

• Rosalie Rivera-Arzuaga has been named Community Development Officer for Monroe County. Her office is located at Five Star Bank Plaza in downtown Rochester.  
• Johnathan Graves has been named Community Development Officer for Erie County. His office is located at Five Star’s recently-opened Financial Solution Center at Fountain Plaza in downtown Buffalo.

Ms. Rivera-Arzuaga and Mr. Graves play an important role in the execution of Five Star Bank’s CRA program to increase access to affordable loan and deposit services for low and moderate income clients. They are responsible for community outreach and partnering with local non-profit organizations and government agencies. They will develop relationships with neighborhood groups, realtors, home buyer counseling agencies and others to identify and accept applications for residential loans and refer small business loans and low cost deposit product opportunities in low to moderate income areas. They will also be active in local charitable and civic efforts geared toward enhancing access to credit and addressing poverty issues, and will develop and maintain business relationships in the community.

“We are delighted to welcome Rosalie and John to the Five Star family,” said Martin K. Birmingham, President and Chief Executive Officer. “They both have proven track records in community engagement and the delivery of a full array of loan and deposit products offered by a community bank. The addition of these two community development officers will serve our bank well as we continue to build our presence in Rochester and Buffalo.”

Ms. Rivera-Arzuaga joined Five Star Bank in February of 2017 after 16 years as a CRA loan officer with Citizens Bank. Previously, she was a CRA loan officer with KeyBank for one year. Ms. Rivera-Arzuaga is active in community organizations and currently serves as Vice President of Latinas Unidas, board member of the Puerto Rican Festival, Inc., and Chair of the Loan Committee for Neighborworks of Rochester. She has two adult children and lives in Chili.

Mr. Graves recently joined Five Star Bank after nearly four years as a CRA loan officer with KeyBank and its predecessor, First Niagara Bank. Previously, he was a relationship development manager for Unyts in Buffalo. He is a graduate of Canisius College with a BA in Communications and a MA in Sports Administration. Mr. Graves is a member of the Buffalo Club and serves as Vice President of St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Alumni Board. He and his wife Carla live in Buffalo with their two children.

About Five Star Bank

Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities, and businesses through a network of more than 50 offices and 60 ATMs throughout Western and Central New York State. More Five Star Bank information is available at www.five-starbank.com , on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Five Star Bank is a subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc. (“FII”), a publicly-traded company. FII provides diversified financial services through its subsidiaries Five Star Bank, Scott Danahy Naylon and Courier Capital. FII and its subsidiaries employ approximately 700 individuals. The company’s stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available at www.fiiwarsaw.com .

Contact: Shelly J. Doran (585) 627-1362 or sjdoran@five-starbank.com