SOUTHINGTON, CT – During our Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in October, Mr. Nicholas K. Fortson, President & CEO of CorePlus Federal Credit Union, and Mr. Patrick J. Murray, Jr., President & CEO of Bristol County Savings Bank, were elected to the Company’s Board of Directors. The addition of these new board members comes in conjunction with the election of Richard A. Leone, CEO of COCC, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Fortson and Mr. Murray join our Board to fill the seats of two retiring members. K. Michael Robbins, COCC’s previous Board Chairman and former CEO of Cornerstone Bank, and Board member Tina Sbrega, former President & CEO of GFA Federal Credit Union. Mr. Robbins named Mr. Leone as his successor, noting that he is uniquely qualified to carry out the Chairman duties effective November 16, 2021.

“I have gained valuable experience and learned a great deal from both Mr. Robbins and Ms. Sbrega during their time serving on our Board,” Mr. Leone noted. “I’m excited to continue our success and our spirit of collaboration as we welcome Mr. Fortson and Mr. Murray to our Board.”

“COCC is the premier core technology partner in the US. CorePlus’ operation is significantly enhanced utilizing COCC’s core processing system,” said Mr. Fortson. “I am truly honored to join the COCC Board of Directors. I look forward to working collaboratively with the Executive team to ensure that the financial institutions under the COCC umbrella continue to get leading edge technology.”

“As our core financial technology provider for several years, I have been very impressed with everything that COCC brings to the table, especially in the areas of innovation and service,” added Mr. Murray. “I look forward to serving on the COCC board and contributing to the continued success of this unique, client-owned business.”

Mr. Fortson joined CorePlus as CFO in 2009 and has led the Credit Union through impressive growth of more than 50% since being promoted to his current position in 2014. He will serve on COCC’s Audit and Governance committees. Mr. Murray joined Bristol County in 1986 and was promoted to President and CEO in 2012. He has overseen the bank’s steady growth and expansion to $3 billion in assets and over 300 employees in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He will serve on COCC’s Planning & Finance and Governance committees.

Mr. Robbins retires after serving on the COCC Board from 15 years, including his tenure as Chairman since 2013. Ms. Sbrega joined the Board in 2009, retiring with 12 years of service.

“We look forward to Mr. Fortson’s and Mr. Murray’s contributions and express our sincere gratitude for Mr. Robbins’ and Ms. Sbrega’s dedication and contributions to the company,” said Mr. Leone. “The Board of Directors of COCC extends its best wishes to Mike and Tina for a happy and healthy retirement.”

About COCC
COCC delivers the most comprehensive core partnership in the industry, combining a collaborative approach with the most highly adopted, feature-rich, modern standards-based core banking platform available. Its digital banking solution ensures that clients provide a rich and intuitive user experience, coupled with personalization driven by advanced machine learning models. Through extensive in-house development and using APIs to streamline innovative fintech integrations, COCC clients leverage a complete suite of modern financial technology solutions. COCC has been client-owned for over 50 years, acting as a partner with an unmatched focus on client service to help community banks and credit unions meet their unique and ever-changing needs. To learn more, visit www.cocc.com.