BBVA Compass Promotes Cedric Buchanon to Serve as New Denver City President

DENVER, May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA Compass announced today that Cedric Buchanon has been promoted to Denver City President. Leading a team of seasoned banking professionals, Buchanon will be responsible for all corporate banking and specialty group activities while expanding BBVA Compass' corporate banking relationships in the Denver metropolitan market. In addition, he will also have responsibility for corporate banking activities in the Boulder market, coordinating his efforts with the bank's retail and wealth management business units in both markets.

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"With more than 20 years of experience in the commercial banking industry, Cedric is a veteran banker who is well-prepared to lead the BBVA Compass corporate banking team in Denver," said Rafael Bustillo, BBVA Compass SEVP and Head of Corporate and Commercial Banking. "He has a track record of proven success, and has distinguished himself as a top level executive who has consistently attracted and grown profitable business relationships for BBVA Compass. Having worked closely with him in Denver, I am confident he will serve our clients well and be a valuable asset to the Denver community."

Buchanon assumes his new position after serving the last five years as a senior vice president for commercial banking at BBVA Compass where he was responsible for large middle market and middle market commercial banking activities. Prior to joining BBVA Compass, Buchanon spent more than 15 years with KeyBank, serving in numerous leadership and senior management positions.

A graduate of Tennessee State University, Buchanon received a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Government and Public Affairs. Active in both civic and community organizations, current and past activities have included Young Philanthropist Foundation, Metro Denver Sports Commission, Denver Judicial Nominating Committee, Leadership Denver, 100 Black Men of Denver, Inc., Boy Scouts of America African American Committee, and Shorter Community African Methodist Episcopal Church. In addition, he also served as Treasurer for Senator Peter Groff, President of the Senate for the State of Colorado. In 2010, Buchanon was recognized by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated as one of their M.O.D.E.L. men in the Denver Community.

ABOUT BBVA COMPASS

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates more than 716 branches including 380 in Texas, 93 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 20 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (3rd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (5th). BBVA Compass has been recognized as one of the nation's leading Small Business Administration (SBA) lenders, earning 'Lender of the Year' honors in 2009 and 2010. Additional information concerning BBVA Compass can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.

BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of Compass Bancshares, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a financial services group with approximately $740 billion in total assets, 47 million clients, 7,400 branches and approximately 107,000 employees in more than 30 countries. BBVA ranks among the top 20 largest financial institutions in the world based on market capitalization and 21st in Global Finance magazine's list of the "World's 50 Safest Banks" for 2010. BBVA provides its customers around the world with a full range of financial services, including commercial and wholesale banking, retail banking services, consumer loans, mortgages, credit cards, securities brokerage, wealth management, pension plan management and insurance. The BBVA Group maintains a leadership position in Spain, Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States, as well as operations in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. More information about the BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.