Mr. George’s 35-year bank career began as a Management Trainee and has grown to include the roles of Commercial Lender, Safety and Soundness Examiner, Chief Credit Officer and 15 years as the President, CEO and Director of mBank. A $1.5 Billion public banking company headquartered in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with 25 offices across 2 states until its divestiture in September 2021. During his time as President and CEO, George led the bank’s growth through five bank acquisitions, multiple capital procurement initiatives, and business line diversifications to enhance shareholder value. George joined mBank in 2003 as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer in charge of the regulatory turnaround of the former North Country Bank and Trust in Manistique, MI. After the successful rehabilitation of the troubled bank and recapitalization, he was promoted in 2006 to President and CEO of mBank and President of Mackinac Financial Corporation, its Holding Company and appointed to both Boards of Directors.

Prior to mBank, George was the Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of a troubled community bank in North Central Ohio, in charge of the credit administration and regulatory turnaround. He also served as a Safety and Soundness Bank Examiner-In-Charge at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, along with assisting with examinations of larger complex bank holding companies and shared national credit reviews.

Mr. George’s areas of specialty include a strong management track record in community banking executive leadership, an extensive enterprise risk management, commercial lending / credit background, mergers and acquisitions, diligence and integration. Mr. George is a graduate of The Ohio State University with a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Finance.

Ms. McDowell has been in banking for 35 plus years and previously served as mBank’s Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer and Operations Officer from 2008 until its divestiture in September 2021. McDowell was part of the credit management turnaround team in 2003, assisting in the rehabilitation of the failing North Country Bank and Trust in Manistique, MI, which was recapitalized and renamed mBank in 2005. McDowell’s leadership was instrumental in the turnaround, along with organic and external growth through five whole bank acquisitions in which she led the data processing conversions and all asset quality due diligence for the acquired financial institutions. mBank grew to over $1.5 Billion dollars in total assets during her leadership tenure.

Previously, McDowell had a successful career at The Commercial and Saving Bank in Millersburg, Ohio where she was the Vice President/Credit Administrator and oversaw all credit and loan operations. Her areas of specialty include all aspects of credit administration, loan and deposit operations, systems conversions from multiple platforms, compliance, and problem loan resolution. Ms. McDowell is loan review certified from BAI and has successfully completed numerous bank and regulatory specific courses in the areas of credit and operational leadership and administration.

Mr. Alexander joins our leadership team following a 35-year career with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, including overseeing the Agency’s Consumer Compliance Examination Program in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the past 25 years as Field Supervisor. Alexander began his regulatory career in 1987 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he obtained dual commissions in Risk Management and Consumer Compliance and served as a Senior Examiner-in-Charge for complex and problem banks for the first 10 years of his career. Responsibilities included serving as examiner-in-charge at adversely rated financial institutions in the Midwest and East Coast during past financial crises, and also leading examination strategies at nationwide credit card lenders headquartered in South Dakota. In 1997, Alexander was promoted to Field Supervisor for the Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection, a position he held until retirement in 2022.

Mr. Alexander received numerous honors during his tenure with the FDIC including Employee of the Year, Manager of the Year, and the Chairman’s Excellence Award. He also earned his Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager from the American Bankers Association in 1998 and has conducted many training and outreach events in conjunction with banker trade organizations in developing effective compliance management systems to improve a financial institution’s overall adherence with governing consumer laws and regulations.