Swanson, HomeStreet's chairman and chief executive officer, oversees 15 savings bank locations in Washington and Oregon, plus 23 home loan centers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Hawaii. He guided the name change last year – a bold move given the 79-year history behind the Continental Bank name.
"The name Continental has been a frustrating for us for decades,'' Swanson said. "We are not able to formally own the name outright because of a similar existing entity in Illinois. Plus, the word also conjures up a broad, impersonal, global landscape - something that we are not. We are regional, niche bank that offers our customers great service."
Swanson's father-in-law, Walter B. Williams, was president of Continental from 1963 until 1990. Like his late father, Williams served as president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. They remain the only father-son combination to have both held that position.
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