By Jorge Mercado Thursday, April 17th, 2025

Santa Barbara County residents will have a new banking option beginning April 17, as CalPrivate Bank announced that it will be opening a new branch in Montecito led by Santa Barbara local, George Leis.

Leis, who will serve as the executive vice president and market president, has a long career in Santa Barbara County, most recently serving as the president and COO of Montecito Bank & Trust since 2016.
Leis has also served as president of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and regional president of Union Bank, which purchased Bank & Trust in 2012.

“I am honored to be joining the CalPrivate Team, who bring creative, high touch, timely, customized solutions to their clients,” Leis said in a press release.

“The core values of Relationships, Solutions and Trust align directly with the needs of our Santa Barbara Community and I’m eager to bring these unique services to our Clients to meet their personal needs and help them grow their organizations.”

CalPrivate Bank president and CEO Rick Sowers said he has known Leis for years and added he is “a person of great character, with strong leadership qualities and an unwavering commitment to the greater Santa Barbara community.”

“His approach to relationship banking is exactly what we provide at Cal Private Bank, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with him and this great group of bankers,” he said.

Leis will be leading the new office in Montecito, which includes Dan Glaeser and Sarah McLelland, who will lead the relationship management team, while Emily Strawn will oversee operations for the new office.

“The passion George and his team have for building strong, long-standing Client relationships and supporting their community is a perfect match for our Client-centric, Solution-driven approach. Together, we’re ecstatic to make a real difference and deliver exceptional client results in the greater Santa Barbara community,” Paul Azzi, chief banking officer of CalPrivate Bank, said in a press release.

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