
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 31, 1994                   TAG: 9403310293
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

FIRST UNION ELIMINATES 2 TOP JOBS

First Union National Bank of Virginia said Wednesday it will abolish city president positions at its operations in Blacksburg and Bedford .

The moves, effective April 30, will result in termination of Lucius M. Merritt Jr. of Blacksburg and Gilbert C. Luck Jr. of Bedford.

Byron Yost, president of First Union's Roanoke region, said elimination of the positions results from restructuring of the Roanoke area.

Branch offices in those communities will report directly to Jane Bunn, consumer banking manager. Commercial banking officers will report to Susan Doyle, commercial banking manager.

In Bedford, Yost said, First Union has announced plans to sell its branch at Smith Mountain Lake, leaving only two Bedford offices, in downtown and Forest.

In the New River Valley, he said, First Union has announced the sale of its Pembroke office and amalgamation of two branches at a new location under construction. Those moves leave two offices instead of five in that area.

In both instances, he said, the size of the market cannot justify the position of city president, especially in locations so close to Roanoke. Yost said there are no other city presidents in the Roanoke region, although those positions exist in other parts of the state.

Yost said the restructuring will make operations more efficient without effects on customer service.

by CNB