North Bay Business Journal

While many businesses, homebuyers and individuals have benefited from the Federal Reserve’s continuing effort to keep interest rates low, that same economic policy — along with heightened pressure from regulators and tepid demand for new loans — has added up to a time of historic challenge for community lenders in the North Bay and beyond.

Executives at North Bay financial institutions said they saw no clear end for the current conditions.

Bank of Marin donated $25,000 to SchoolsRule–Marin, part of its pledge to allocate 35 percent of its total corporate giving to education-related organizations in 2013. …

After joining the board of directors for the Oakland-based Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment, Kimberly Kaselionis has worked to restart a specialized loan program for women entrepreneurs in Marin County that she helped launch while chief executive of the former Circle Bank. …

Santa Rosa’s Exchange Bank celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Trust & Investment Management department this month. …

Santa Rosa native Jonathan Graves has joined First Community Bank as vice president and commercial loan officer. …

NOVATO — Kimberly Kaselionis, chairwoman and chief executive officer of the former Circle Bank since 1996, announced today that she has left the institution after the completion of its acquisition by Portland, Ore.-based Umpqua Bank.

NOVATO — Umpqua Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: UMPQ), the parent company of Portland, Ore.-Umpqua Bank, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Novato-based Circle Bancorp, parent company of Circle Bank.

A definitive agreement between the two companies was first announced in August. Umpqua acquired Circle Bank for nearly $25 million.

NOVATO — Umpqua Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq: UMPQ), the parent company of Portland, Ore.-based Umpqua Bank, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Novato-based Circle Bank and its parent company for $24.9 million.

Upon the completion of the acquisition, all six of Circle Bank’s branches will operate under the Umpqua name, joining Umpqua’s other branches in the North Bay.

The transition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.

Novato-based ET Water Systems, Inc., which offers a range of traditional, retrofit and cloud-based irrigation management products for new and existing landscapes, announced the release of a suite of water budget tools that enable customers to monitor and manage water use in real-time, with graphs and analytics to communicate actionable, water saving data to stakeholders and stay within monthly water budget requirements.

Democrasoft, Inc. (OTCBB: DEMO), the Santa Rosa-based developer of the online Collaborize Classroom education software, announced the completion of a $500,000 interim funding private placement; most of the securities were sold to existing investors.

The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley founder and President, Tracy Hayward, announced the launch of a new warehouse program for local residents and businesses.

Shakespeare Napa Valley will present Twelfth Night, one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies set in the fantastical world of the “Wild Wild West,” free of charge in beautiful Veterans Memorial Park in Downtown Napa, July 20–29.

The Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

Three outpatient clinical programs in Sutter Medical Network, Sutter Health’s physician network, were recognized for statewide best practices in the California Association of Physician Groups’ annual Standards of Excellence Survey of medical group features and capabilities.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Live Well Be Well workplace-wellness program received platinum certification in the 2012 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards presented by the National Business Group on Health.

HopMonk Tavern owner Dean Biersch has announced that Novato will be the home of his third craft beer-centric tavern with plans to open fall 2012.

Silverado Country Club, located at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, announced the availability of a limited number of memberships to individuals outside of the Silverado Community for the first time.

Cogenra Solar, a Mountain View-based provider of distributed solar cogeneration systems, announced its first dairy solar cogeneration system at the Clover Stornetta Farms Dairy Processing Plant in Petaluma.

B.R. Cohn Winery, based in Glen Ellen, received three gold medals at the California State Fair Wine Competition for the 2009 Mendocino County Barbera, the 2010 Carneros Chardonnay and the 2010 Russian River Pinot Noir.

Twenty-six volunteers from the business community and government agencies have been working together to conduct interviews throughout the county in recent weeks as part of Sonoma County BEST’s “100 in 100” effort.

United Way recently honored local businesses with their annual Community Partnership Awards.

For the first time in its six-year history, two organizations tied for Nonprofit Organization of the Year in the Napa Community Awards, presented at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa. Community Health Clinic Ole and Community Action of Napa Valley jointly received the prestigious award, selected from among nine nominees submitted by the community.

Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, a project of Homeward Bound of Marin, has received a $30,000 grant to refine and enhance its training program with updated curriculum and a new job coach.

The Sonoma County Harvest Fair judges have announced Santa Rosa Junior College’s Shone Farm olive oil is a double gold winner in the fair’s professional olive oil competition.

Novato-based Circle Bank announced that the Redwood Empire Food Bank, which serves Sonoma County and the North Bay, will be the beneficiary of its quarterly charity day program.

SailNapaValley.com, a collaboration between the Napa Valley Destination Council, Napa Valley Vintners and the 34th America’s Cup, launches on June 27 to showcase Napa Valley lodging, wine and culinary offerings for fans and friends of the America’s Cup.

Education Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, a project of Homeward Bound of Marin, has received a $30,000 grant to refine and enhance its training program with updated curriculum and a new job coach. The grant from Catalyst Kitchens, an affiliate group for culinary social enterprise businesses, is supported by the Walmart Foundation and will allow Fresh [...]

NORTH BAY – The volume of small business lending in the North Bay backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration was 29 percent lower for the first half of fiscal 2012 compared to the same period last year, with a corresponding 16.7 percent decrease in dollars across Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties, according to the SBA.

NOVATO – In celebration of its 50th profitable quarter, Novato-based Circle Bank announced today that it will donate 50,000 pounds of food to two Bay Area food banks, the San Francisco and Marin Food Bank and the Redwood Empire Food Bank.

Novato-based Circle Bank has partnered with Keiretsu Forum, said to be the world’s largest angel investor network, to provide financing advice to startup and early-stage companies in the North Bay and San Francisco. … Adam Capital, a Sonoma-based lender specializing in financing small-scale solar projects, is urging solar companies to act before the window closes on a 30 percent federal grant on solar projects at the end of this year. … Westamerica bank is making preparations to move its branch in Ignacio near its current location in the Pacheco Plaza shopping center early next year, said Robert Thorson, the bank’s chief financial officer. … Community First Credit Union signed up the greater number of new members in November than in any month in its 50-year history, beating a record set in October. … The U.S. Small Business Administration is hosting a free web seminar on Dec. 15 to help small business owners prepare for the end of the 2011 tax year. … Images in Motion, a Sonoma-based studio specializing in puppets for television, is filming a series of commercials for Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union to “explain the benefits of credit union services to customers on the Big Island.”

NOVATO — Circle Bank today announced it has partnered with Keiretsu Forum, said to be the world’s largest angel investor network, to provide financing advice to startup and early-stage companies in the North Bay and San Francisco.

NORTH BAY — Community financial institutions throughout the country experienced an influx of new customers through October and early November, as many fled the big banks that had proposed monthly debit card fees and took part in the grassroots event known as “Bank Transfer Day” on Nov. 5. As many customers at the nation’s big banks move to local institutions, North Bay banks and credit unions see a boost.

Joining the staff are Dianna Berthinier, who joined as senior vice president and regional manager in August; Terrance Davis, who joined as senior vice president and business banking officer in September; and Brian Rose, who also joined in September as vice president and commercial loan officer.

Novato-based Circle Bank has hired long-time community banking executive Tom Rose for the newly created position of vice president/area manager for Sonoma County.

Bank of America has hired 10 advisers across Sonoma and Marin counties for its Merrill Edge Financial Solutions Advisers division.

NOVATO — Novato-based Circle Bank posted its 49th-consecutive profitable quarter this week, surpassing its net income in the second quarter by 51.8 percent.

NOVATO — A senior officer at Circle Bank is one of 10 people alleged to have hidden the “deteriorating condition” of the former United Commercial Bank in San Francisco before it went into receivership in late 2009, according to an enforcement action filed Tuesday from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

SANTA ROSA — The high cost of complying with burgeoning regulation will be the cause of even more bank consolidation than has occurred as a result of the recession, experts say.

SANTA ROSA — The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, an international forum for standardization on bank rules, has approved increasing the risk-based ratio for financial institutions from the current 8 percent to about 10.5 percent over the next several years.

Dominican University of California will be led as of July 1 by Dr. Mary Marcy, who is succeeding Dr. Joseph Fink as president of the university. … Fairfax will launch the FairBuck at its 34th Annual Fairfax Festival & EcoFest on June 11 and 12. … Novato-based Circle Bank published a Corporate Social Responsibility report, covering its community activities and practices. … As part of a national No Tobacco Day on May 31, Marin General Hospital announced plans to implement a new tobacco-free policy at all facilities beginning this fall.