PASO ROBLES, Calif., March 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simone F. Lagomarsino, President and CEO of Heritage Oaks Bancorp (Nasdaq:HEOP), announced the appointment of Lonny D. Robinson as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and Heritage Oaks Bank. Mr. Robinson will join the company on Wednesday, March 19, 2014.<br /><br />"We are very pleased to have someone with Lonny's extensive experience join our company," stated Lagomarsino. "He has the strong financial background and leadership qualities that are important to us. He is a great addition to our executive management team."<br /><br />Mr. Robinson has more than 30 years of financial services industry experience, most of it at the executive management and Chief Financial Officer level. He has been involved in all aspects of finance including financial planning, analysis, and reporting, mergers and acquisitions, accounting, budgeting, financial and management information systems, and corporate finance. He will serve as a key member of the Heritage Oaks executive team and will be responsible for directing and overseeing the company's finance and accounting functions.<br /><br />Prior to joining Heritage Oaks Bancorp, he served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Banc of California and Private Bank of California with a combined asset base of $3.5 billion. Prior to this position, Robinson served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Hanmi Financial Corporation, a $2.8 billion bank headquartered in southern California. He also held senior financial management positions at Opportunity Bank, Western Community Bancshares, and Center Financial Corporation. Prior to his banking career, he was a CPA with accounting firm, Ernst & Young.<br /><br />Mr. Robinson is a graduate of Westminster College with a degree in Accounting and Business. He also received graduate banking degrees from the University of Georgia and the University of Texas.<br /><br />About Heritage Oaks Bancorp<br /><br />With $1.6 billion in assets, Heritage Oaks Bancorp is the holding company for Heritage Oaks Bank. Heritage Oaks Bank has its headquarters and three branch offices in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, two branch offices in Arroyo Grande and Atascadero, single branch offices in Cambria, Templeton, Morro Bay, and Santa Barbara as well as loan production offices in Goleta and Ventura/Oxnard. Heritage Oaks Bank conducts commercial banking business in the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Visit Heritage Oaks Bancorp on the Web at www.heritageoaksbancorp.com. By including the foregoing website address, Heritage Oaks Bancorp does not intend to and shall not be deemed to incorporate by reference any material contained therein.