City National Hires Seasoned Private Bankers Karen Bjorn and Rick Engbrecht for San Diego Region

SAN DIEGO, CA – City National Bank, California’s Premier Private and Business Bank®, today announced that it has hired Karen Bjorn and Rick Engbrecht, both highly regarded qualified private banking professionals, as private bankers in its Private Banking Division in San Diego. Bjorn and Engbrecht, along with their families, are longtime residents of San Diego County, and have combined experience of more than 43 years in the financial services industry.

In their new roles with City National, Bjorn and Engbrecht will be responsible for providing tailored solutions for high net-worth families, their related professional services firms and non-profits.  They will also work closely with other areas of the bank, including Personal and Business Banking’s four branches throughout San Diego, Commercial Banking and Real Estate Banking to deliver an unparalled experience to City National clients.

Bjorn and Engbrecht are located at City National’s San Diego Regional Center at 4275 Executive Square, Suite 750, in La Jolla. They will both report to Matthew Guillory, team lead for the San Diego County Private Banking group, who joined City National earlier this year.

“We are excited to have Karen and Rick join our seasoned and growing team of private bankers in San Diego,” said David Ohanian, regional manager for City National’s Private banking Division in San Diego and Orange County. “Both are exceptional professionals who have strong ties to the San Diego community and understand the wealth management needs of our clients.  Their experience will contribute to City National’s growth and expansion throughout the region”.

Bjorn joined City National from Wells Fargo Bank where she served as vice president and senior private banker for 12 years.  During her more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry, she has also worked for Palm Desert National Bank, First Community Bank, FirstBank NA, and Foothill Independent Bank.

Bjorn is a graduate of California State University, San Bernardino, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.  She also earned an Associates degree in Business 

Administration from the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California.  She currently holds securities licenses including Series 7 and 66 licenses as well as a Life Insurance license.

Bjorn is active in the community serving on a handful of nonprofit boards and/or volunteering for several community programs, including Leadership Coachella Valley, American Cancer Society, and Animal Samaritans SPCA.

Engbrecht joined City National from Union Bank where he served as a private banker for nine years.  During his more than 18 years of banking experience, Engbrecht also worked for Merrill Lynch, MetLife and Wells Fargo Bank.

Engbrecht is a graduate of San Diego State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.  He also holds securities licenses including Series 7 and 66 as well as his Life Insurance license.

Engbrecht is also very active in the San Diego community serving on several nonprofit boards and/or volunteering for a number of worthy causes.  These include the San Diego Zoo, USO, and the San Diego Dental Foundation, as well as coaching his sons PYSL soccer team.

Click here to view an image of Bjorn.

Click here to view an image of Engbrecht.