WSFS Bank is launching a Capital Markets department under its division of Finance. Ronald “Ron” Samuels, a senior vice president and long-time WSFS associate, has been named director of Capital Markets.
The new group will manage the company’s $1.9 billion investment portfolio and other critical corporate functions. The Capital Markets group was created from WSFS’ Treasury department—also under the Finance division—to meet increased demands following WSFS’ combination with Beneficial Bank, and to actualize opportunities to develop new business strategies.
Samuels’ current Treasury deputy, Paul Edward “Ed” Caywood, Jr., has been named his successor as senior vice president and treasurer. Samuels and Caywood will report to Dominic C. Canuso, WSFS Bank’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.
“The reorganization to form Capital Markets and Treasury as two individual units makes strategic sense for our growing Company and the increased demands that come with being a $12.2 billion-in-assets community bank,” said Canuso. “I join WSFS’ executive management and finance teams in thanking Ron for his leadership of the Treasury group, and for his new detail to develop and lead the newly-created Capital Markets department. We also congratulate Ed on his promotion to oversee WSFS’ Treasury functions as our new Treasurer.”
In addition to overseeing WSFS’ investment portfolio, the Capital Markets department will manage capital management, the return of capital through dividends and the company’s share repurchase program, long-term funding and capital structure management.
As senior vice president and director of Capital Markets, Samuels will work with external stakeholders, including investment banks and debt underwriters, rating agencies, market makers in WSFS stock, and economists and other advisors to manage the company’s balance sheet, investment portfolio and capital structure.
Samuels has held various role of increasing responsibility since joining WSFS in 2003, most recently as senior vice president and treasurer, and vice president and assistant treasurer before that.
As treasurer, Caywood will lead asset/liability management, interest rate risk, short-term funding and liquidity management, and general corporate Treasury management functions. The Treasury unit also works directly on mortgage hedging, retail deposit pricing and marketing strategies, and commercial loan pricing and structuring.
Caywood has more than two dozen years of experience in finance, including as a senior associate of capital markets for Farmer Mac in Washington, D.C., vice president and treasury credit manager for the former Provident Bank in Baltimore and as a treasurer and first vice president at the former Fox Chase Bank in Hatboro, PA. He joined WSFS in 2016 as vice president and director of financial risk management and was promoted in 2017 to vice president and assistant treasurer.
