James E. Young, president and chief executive of Citizens Trust Bank, has died. He was 61 or 62, according to corporate profiles.
In January, Mr. Young took a leave of absence from the bank, according to federal filings, citing serious illness. He died Monday after “a brief battle with cancer,” according to a news release from the bank.
“The passing of Mr. Young has left us deeply saddened,” Cynthia N. Day, the bank's newly appointed president and chief executive, said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Young has left a lasting impact on us all with his wisdom, his character and his ability to inspire others. We will continue to honor him and the legacy he has left.”
Mr. Young’s death leaves a void in the banking world and the Atlanta community, said Robert L. Brown Jr., president and chief executive of R. L. Brown & Associates Inc.
“He cared deeply for people, and he could understand a number of situations,” said Mr. Brown, who has been on the bank's board of directors since 2000. “He could place himself in the shoes of different people and look for solutions to make the world a better place, for not only the least among us, but also for budding entrepreneurs and seasoned business people.”
Mr. Young had more than 40 years of experience in the banking industry. After graduating from Tennessee State University in 1971, he got a job as a management trainee at then-Chase Manhattan Bank, now JPMorgan Chase & Co. Within a year he was promoted to a lending officer, and eventually he was named a vice president and team manager in the bank’s credit audit division, according to his biography. He stayed with Chase until 1989, when he went to City National Bank of New Jersey as the vice president and chief commercial loan officer. A year later, he was promoted to senior vice president of general administration and commercial loans. He left City National in 1993 to lead First Southern Bank in Lithonia.
In 1997, under Mr. Young’s leadership, First Southern merged with Citizens Trust and formed Citizens Trust Bank, and he was named president of the merged institution in 1998. Citizens Trust Bank has been among the largest minority-owned banks in the Southeast. Its assets grew from $128.5 million the year before the merger to $385.3 million as of the end of the third quarter of 2011.
Mr. Young was on numerous boards and committees beyond his banking duties. He was on the boards of the National Bankers Association, the Atlanta Action Forum, Central Atlanta Progress, the Commerce Club and Rock-Tenn Co. He was also on the board of counselors of the Carter Center and had served as chairman of the board of trustees at Morris Brown College.
His accessibility in the Atlanta community was legendary. Customers and business leaders knew they could call on him, said Dr. Stanley J. Pritchett Sr., president of Morris Brown College.
“When you’d call and make appointments he would try to see you,” Dr. Pritchett said. “He also had a love for the fiscal affairs of the groups and organizations he worked with.”
Visitation is planned for 7 p.m.until 8 p.m. Friday, at the Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home, 4347 Flat Shoals Pkwy., Decatur, which is also in charge of arrangements. A funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Mr. Young is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Rebecca Young; three sons; and a daughter, according to the release.
About the Author
