California Bank & Trust has appointed Phillip F. Petrozzi, a banking industry leader of more than 35 years, to the post of executive vice president and director of Fiduciary Banking at the bank’s headquarters in San Diego, CA.

After joining CB&T in August of this year, Petrozzi has officially assumed responsibilities for developing and managing depository sales and support teams with a fiduciary banking focus. The position, which reports directly to CB&T President Eric Ellingsen, will leverage Petrozzi’s expertise in specialty banking for escrow, title, property management, and community association management firms, as well as his extensive background in acquiring deposit relationships with fiduciary and other deposit-centric businesses.

“Phil’s depth of experience in building and leading fiduciary banking divisions will position us for even greater growth and opportunity,” said Ellingsen. “He is a highly-respected, seasoned banker with a proven record of building strong fiduciary relationships. We’re proud to welcome him to California Bank & Trust.”

Petrozzi joins CB&T after seven years at Opus Bank, where he first served as senior vice president and senior managing director of Fiduciary Banking starting in 2012. Four years later and after creating that bank’s Specialty Deposits unit, he was promoted to senior vice president and senior managing director of Commercial Depository Services.
In previous positions at City National Bank, Petrozzi was senior vice president and regional sales manager for nearly 17 years.

Petrozzi began his career in sales management roles at Mercantile National Bank, Imperial Bank and Westlands Bank in the Southern California market.