David Ott Appointed President of Peoples Heritage Bank

PORTLAND, Maine á David J. Ott, a Maine native with more than 20 years in banking, has been appointed president and CEO of Peoples Heritage Bank. The announcement was made March 2 by William J. Ryan, chairman, president and CEO of Peoples Heritage Financial Group (NASDAQ:PHBK), the parent company of the bank. Ott began his post March 8.

A resident of Cumberland and originally from Gorham, Ott, 47, served as chairman, president and CEO of Fleet Bank of Maine until the announcement last Tuesday.

"We are pleased to have a senior banking executive of Dave Ott's talent and experience join Peoples Heritage," said William J. Ryan. "He is very well regarded in business circles and the community at large and will be a strong leader in the organization."

Ott is a 1974 graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick. He serves on the board of directors of the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME), the Susan Curtis Foundation, the Portland Museum of Art, the United Way of Greater Portland and the Maine Chamber & Business Alliance. He also is active in the Family Workshop and is heading the 1999 annual fundraising campaign for the Maine Medical Center.
"I am very excited to join Peoples Heritage," said Ott. "The fact that Peoples is a Maine- based organization was a key factor in my decision, so I look at this as a great opportunity to work with the people of Maine, and continue to build strong relationships with the Maine business community."

Peoples Heritage Financial Group is a $12 billion bank holding company that is also the parent company of Bank of New Hampshire, which has the leading market share in New Hampshire, Family Bank and the newly-acquired SIS Bank in Massachusetts, and Glastonbury Bank & Trust in Connecticut. Peoples Heritage Bank, the largest bank in the state, has 75 banking centers throughout Maine, five of which operate as Oxford Bank & Trust, a division of the bank.

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