Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (“Horizon” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ GS: HBNC) recently announced that James D. Neff will retire as President of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Horizon Bank, on March 31, 2022 after more than 22 years of service to Horizon.
“Jim has been a valued leader since joining Horizon more than two decades ago and integral to our growth from just $400 million in assets in 1999 to the more than $7-billion-asset financial institution Horizon is today,” Chairman and CEO Craig M Dwight said. “Jim’s commitment to this company, his colleagues, customers and the communities we serve have been second to none. On behalf of all of us at Horizon, I thank him for his service, leadership and friendship.”
Jim joined Horizon in 1999 as Senior Vice President of Mortgage Warehouse Lending and he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Horizon in 2004. He has served as President of Horizon Bank since 2018, overseeing retail banking, community reinvestment, retail mortgage, warehouse lending and consumer lending. Prior to joining Horizon, he was Vice President of Mortgage Warehousing with the former Civitas Bank, which has since been acquired by Fifth Third. Jim began his banking career in 1978 with First of America Bank, LaPorte.
During his tenure with Horizon, Jim played a key role in the Company’s expansion and growth as it completed 15 bank mergers and expanded into 12 new markets. In 2021, he led his team to achieve record mortgage production. Since 2004, he has been a member of Horizon’s Diversity Business Council and helped to lead the expansion of the bank’s diversity programs and initiatives.
Active in the local community, both personally and professional, Jim currently serves on the Purdue University Northwest Sinai Forum Advisory Board and is a member of the Michigan City Rotary Club and the Indiana Bankers Association’s Forty Year Club. In 2021 Jim was awarded the Leaders in Banking Excellence award by the Indiana Bankers Association. In addition, he has previously served as President and campaign chairman of the Greater LaPorte County United Way.
Jim graduated from Purdue University North Central with a degree in liberal arts and business administration. Upon his retirement, he plans to spend his time in Indiana and Florida with his wife Kathy and their four children and three grandchildren.
About Horizon Bancorp, Inc.
Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ GS: HBNC) is the $7.4 billion–asset bank holding company for Horizon Bank, which serves customers across diverse and economically attractive Midwestern markets through convenient digital and virtual tools, as well as its Indiana and Michigan branches. Horizon's retail offerings include prime residential, indirect auto, and other secured consumer lending to in–market customers, as well as a range of personal banking and wealth management solutions. Horizon also provides a comprehensive array of in–market business banking and treasury management services, with commercial lending representing over half of total loans. More information on Horizon, headquartered in Northwest Indiana's Michigan City, is available at horizonbank.com and investor.horizonbank.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward–looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Horizon Bancorp, Inc. and its affiliates (collectively, “Horizon”). For these statements, Horizon claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward–looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Horizon, including the information in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward–looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward–looking statements are based on management’s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “will” and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward–looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include risk factors relating to the banking industry and the other factors detailed from time to time in Horizon’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those described in Horizon’s Annual Report on Form 10–K and its quarterly reports on Form 10–Q. Further, statements about the effects of the COVID–19 pandemic on our business, operations, financial performance, and prospects may constitute forward–looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual impacts may differ, possibly materially, from what is reflected in those forward–looking statements due to factors and future developments that are uncertain, unpredictable, and in many cases beyond our control, including the scope and duration of the pandemic, actions taken by governmental authorities in response to the pandemic, and the direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on our customers, third parties, and us. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward–looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Horizon does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to update any forward–looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward–looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.