11/12/2026 (Updated: 11/12/2026) - Corporate
ATLANTA – November 12, 2026 – SouthState (NYSE: SSB) announces the hiring of several veteran bankers to support the fast-growing Atlanta metro area. These producers will support multiple lines of business, including commercial banking and mortgage.
”Atlanta continues to be an important market for SouthState, and we’re excited to strengthen our teams with experienced bankers who understand the needs of businesses and individuals across the region. Their expertise and strong local relationships will help us continue delivering the high-touch, relationship-focused banking our clients expect,” said Atlanta Group President BJ Green.
Additions to the Atlanta Commercial Banking team include:
Max Barousse – commercial relationship manager – joins SouthState following a stint at Crawford Investment Counsel where he served as a business development officer. Other previous roles include middle market banker at Cadence Bank and derivatives analyst at Stifel Financial.
Howard Cheong – commercial relationship manager – began his career in banking 25 years ago with Wells Fargo, where he held various roles of increasing responsibility including small business credit sales consultant and lead small business strategy consultant. Most recently, he worked as a business banker for HomeTrust Bank. He also built his knowledge of the Atlanta market as manager of branch sales in South Georgia at First Citizens.
Tu Dinh – commercial relationship manager – is a veteran banker with 20-plus years of experience in business banking. He began his career at Bank of America as a business banker before moving to First Horizon, where he worked as a commercial relationship manager.
Drew Ostendorf – commercial relationship manager – spent the first decade of his career at BMO Commercial Bank in the roles of portfolio manager and relationship manager. He later moved to First Horizon as a commercial relationship manager before coming to SouthState.
Bankers joining the Atlanta Mortgage team include:
Jan Wagner – mortgage sales manager – has been an integral part of the metro Atlanta area mortgage industry since 1997. She’s received the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia Top Producer Gold Award every year since 2006. Before joining SouthState, she worked for BankSouth Mortgage for 14 years.
Jessica Bernstein – mortgage banker – joins the bank with 17 years of experience in residential lending. Known for her commitment to customer service and industry expertise, she has helped clients secure financing solutions tailored to their unique needs. As a mortgage banker with SouthState, she will leverage her extensive lending experience to support homebuyers, homeowners and real estate professionals throughout the Atlanta area.
William Sartain – mortgage banker – began his career in the mortgage industry in 2023, joining SouthState from BankSouth. Prior to banking, he worked for 15 years in real estate. During his short time in lending, he received the Gold Award from the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia.
Paige Seibert – mortgage banker – brings more than 20 years of mortgage lending experience to her clients. A multiple-year recipient of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia Gold Award, she specializes in purchase financing and portfolio loan solutions, helping borrowers navigate both traditional and unique lending scenarios. Her expertise includes portfolio, jumbo, conventional, VA and FHA loan programs, providing expert guidance and personalized solutions throughout the home financing process.
Keith Spain – mortgage banker – is a mortgage industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience, having served clients and communities since 1998. He specializes in custom jumbo mortgages, construction financing, physician and medical professional lending, and liquidity-based lending programs. A proud member of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia, Spain has been recognized as one of Georgia’s top mortgage lenders for more than two decades.
Additional client-facing team members include:
Eric Stuberg – payments banking relationship manager – is a banking veteran with 25 years of experience specializing in payments strategy and technology. He spent the majority of his career at Wells Fargo’s Corporate & Investment Bank, advising executive teams and managing large corporate relationships across the industrials, technology, media and telecommunications, retail and consumer products sectors.
Kate Crownshaw – payments banking relationship manager – has more than a decade in the financial industry, most recently with HSBC. In her payments role, she works with CFOs, treasury leaders and executive teams to deliver solutions that improve liquidity, streamline operations and support growth.
Will DeCamps – asset based relationship manager/underwriter – joins SouthState after 11 years with Regions Bank’s asset-based lending group in both underwriting and relationship management roles. He has worked with lower-middle market to large corporate clients including family-owned, sponsor-backed and public companies, offering financing solutions for working capital, recaps and M&A activity. Prior to that he worked for First Republic Bank and Deutsche Bank.
Robert DeVaux – wealth advisor – has more than 20 years of experience in wealth management and private banking. Prior to joining SouthState, he spent two decades with Wells Fargo in roles including private banker, wealth advisor and, most recently, senior custom credit banker within the private bank. With SouthState Wealth, he leads a team of specialists dedicated to delivering comprehensive wealth management solutions. DeVaux is also Certified Financial Planner.®
SouthState Corporation (NYSE: SSB) is a financial services company headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida. SouthState Bank, N.A., the company’s nationally chartered bank subsidiary, provides consumer, commercial, mortgage and wealth management solutions to more than 1.5 million customers throughout Florida, Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia, Colorado, Alabama, Virginia and Tennessee. The bank also serves clients nationwide through its correspondent banking division. Additional information is available at SouthStateBank.com.
In observance of Veterans Day, SouthState locations will be closed on Wednesday, November 11. SouthState Customer Care will be open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET. Transactions initiated or scheduled on a holiday are processed the next business day.