Centura Banks Hires Ashby to Head Centura Insurance Services

Rocky Mount, NC-based Centura Banks says it has hired veteran banker James Ashby as chief executive officer of Centura Insurance Services, its full-service insurance subsidiary. He replaces Charles Frederick, who maintains his responsibilities as Business Banking group executive for South Carolina and assumes the same duties for North Carolina's Western region. Frederick headed Insurance Services on an interim basis.

``We are pleased to have found someone of Jim's caliber to lead Centura Insurance Services,'' said Cecil Sewell, Centura chief executive officer. ``His depth of financial services experience will serve Centura well as we continue to build our insurance business in North Carolina and across our franchise. Jim is taking over an operation that Charles Frederick did a commendable job running on an interim basis.''

Prior to joining Centura, Ashby served for the past 10 years as director of marketing and sales development at BB&T Corp. He also spent 15 years at IBM in various sales management positions. Ashby holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from North Carolina State University.