Usb Boss Announces Resignation

The president and chief executive officer of United Security Bancorporation is resigning.

Richard Emery, 58, will step down June 1, and surrender his seat on the board of the holding company as of the May 23 annual meeting.

He will be replaced by Wes Cooley, 61, president of AmericanWest Bank in Walla Walla.

United Security bought that bank in a February 1999 transaction that made Cooley the holding company’s largest individual shareholder.

Emery joined United Security in November 1997 from Pacific One Bank in Kennewick, where he was president and CEO. Earlier, he had been with two Spokane-based institutions - Old National Bank and Farmers & Merchants Bank.

In a prepared statement, he expressed satisfaction with his tenure at United Security and confidence in Cooley.

“He built a highly profitable, high-quality organization at his bank in Walla Walla and we expect that he can repeat that success on a larger scale,” Emery said.

Cooley said he would continue Emery’s efforts to reduce bank costs and consolidate back-office operations.

Chairman Keith Sattler praised the guidance Emery had given the holding company during a transition from control by former president and chairman William “Bud” Dashiell, who left the holding company in December.

Dashiell had stepped aside as president to make way for Emery.

United Security subsidiaries, besides AmericanWest, are United Security Bank in Spokane, Home Security Bank in Sunnyside, Moscow-based Bank of Pullman, and Grant National Bank in Ephrata.

Emery serves on the boards of all five subsidiaries, but will relinquish those seats in May.

The company has 37 branches and about $530 million in assets.