City National Bank Opens its Newest Bay Area Branch in Sunnyvale with Grand Opening Celebration and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

New branch will enable City National to better serve Silicon Valley’s businesses, small business owners, high-net-worth individuals and their families.

City National Bank, America’s Premier Private and Business Bank®, announced today that it is celebrating the official grand opening of its ninth Bay Area branch in the city of Sunnyvale, which also marks its third location in Silicon Valley. Located at 301 W. McKinley Avenue Suite 100, the brand new, full-service branch will better serve the financial needs of the community in one of Silicon Valley’s most affluent cities. Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein and other city leaders are joining City National Bank at a grand opening celebration including a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 15th. The bank will also present a $10,000 check to support Sunnyvale Community Services, a nonprofit emergency agency assisting local residents.

“City National is excited to add another branch in the Bay Area at an ideal location where there is tremendous opportunity to provide highly tailored financial advice and customized solutions to all of our clients,” said Scott Witter, executive vice president and manager of the Personal and Business Banking division at City National.  “Today’s grand opening is a celebration of connecting with the Silicon Valley  community and expanding our presence at the world capital of innovation.”

The new 3,250 square foot branch aligns with the bank’s Branch Evolution Strategy and features “zones” to create an energetic, efficient and branded experience for clients. The branch has an open concept and an ATM vestibule that is equipped with a retractable wall that stores away to allow more space to open in the lobby. Communal high-top tables are also available for clients and also serve as a dedicated section for colleagues to offer online and mobile app demonstrations.

With its long-known ties to the entertainment industry, City National Bank is headquartered in Los Angeles. It opened its first branch in the Bay Area in 2000 when it purchased The Pacific Bank and since then, City National has expanded to a total of nine branches that circle the Bay.

Joe Mathai, senior vice president and San Francisco Bay Area Regional Banking manager, said, “Opening the Sunnyvale branch demonstrates City National Bank’s commitment to growing our presence in the Bay Area. We welcome all of our clients no matter what their personal financial goals are and what they want to achieve. Whether they want to launch their business, expand their business, or secure a mortgage to become home owners, we are committed to helping all of our clients achieve financial success.”

Serving our diverse clients

The Bay Area is home to many different cultures, and the city of Sunnyvale is no different. Specifically, Sunnyvale has a high South-Asian community, and 46% of residents are of Asian descent. To better serve clients in the language they prefer, Sunnyvale branch colleagues speak many different languages such as Hindi, Tagalog, Arabic, and Cambodian.

“Our diverse team mirrors the communities that we serve,” said Amal Allan, vice president and Sunnyvale Branch Manager. “We understand that clients may be more comfortable speaking in their preferred language, and our multi-cultural colleagues are available to do just that.”

Leading the new Sunnyvale branch are:

• Amal Allan, vice president and branch manager. Allan brings nearly 25 years of banking experience to her role at City National, where she leads the team of seasoned financial experts to help clients meet their financial goals. Allan started her career as a teller and has since worked in every position in a branch environment. She is also active in the local community and has hosted financial literacy and elder/fraud abuse seminars. In addition, Allan has volunteered for organizations focused in reading and financial literacy support.
  
  
• Sharmaine Avestruz, relationship banker. She works directly with clients to ensure all needs are met on both sales and service requests with a key focus on building strong business and personal relationships with clients to ensure their ongoing financial success. Avestruz has seven years of banking industry experience and has also worked in sales and operations roles.
  
  
• Joseph Cook, vice president and business banking relationship manager. Cook develops and manages relationships with business banking clients throughout the Bay Area. He is responsible for providing extraordinary client service by understanding each client’s specific business operations and their needs. His extensive banking experience began 18 years ago as a teller, before quickly moving up the ranks onto supervisory and assistant management roles. He then held various business banking roles for eight years before joining the City National Business Banking team in 2021.
  
  
• Rick Huy, vice president and relationship manager. Huy is responsible for building rapport with consumer and business clients, acting as a liaison to onboard new clients, and advising on product and service solutions that will meet their needs. Huy has more than 10 years of branch management experience and has successfully cultivated new relationships to boost portfolio growth and increase client retention using a consultative and personal approach. Before beginning his banking career, Huy taught Pre-K and Kindergarten students.
  
  
• Kishen Patel, assistant vice president and senior client manager. Patel works directly with clients and other colleagues to ensure all client requests are met. He is also responsible for maintaining operational integrity and processing all operational requests. He attended UC Merced, where he majored in accounting.