Financial Services >> CEO Interviews >> May 22, 2000
CHARLES J. HAMM is President, CEO & Chairman of Independence Community
Bank Corp. In 1985, after spending 24 years in advertising and
marketing, he was named President and CEO of Independence Savings Bank,
a community-based financial institution headquartered in Brooklyn. In
1996, he became Chairman as well. In 1998 the name was changed to
Independence Community Bank. He also has served on the Boards of more
than 17 community groups, including the Brooklyn Hospital Center, Pratt
Institute, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Community Preservation
Corporation. When Mr. Hamm came to Independence, he recognized the need
to capitalize on the strengths of a community bank. It's an attitude
that works. Since his arrival, the bank has increased its assets from $1
billion to $6.9 billion, and grown from nine branches to 65 branches. He
is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Board of Governors
Thrift Institutions Advisory Panel and the New York City Partnership. A
Harvard graduate, he received his MBA from New York University. He
served in the US Army as a First Lieutenant in the Counterintelligence
Corps from 1959 to 1961. Mr. Hamm is married with two children. Profile
Independence Community Bank Corporation, just to set the stage for the
readers?
Mr. Hamm: In terms of history, this is a fairly
