Burruano named general counsel of Five Star Bank parent

WARSAW, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent company of Five Star Bank, announced that it has named Samuel J. Burruano, Jr. general counsel.

In addition to his new duties as general counsel, he will also continue to serve as senior VP and corporate secretary.

Burruano has provided legal advice to the banking company for the past three years and worked closely with William L. Kreienberg, chief banking and revenue officer and former general counsel, to prepare him to take on this role as the company’s chief legal adviser, according to a Financial Institutions news release.

The company says this planned organizational change allows Kreienberg to focus his “full attention on leading the organization’s revenue and client-relationship building businesses for banking, insurance, and wealth management.” Kreienberg had served as company general counsel since October 2014.

Burruano joined Five Star Bank in October 2016 as assistant general counsel and director of regulatory compliance. He was named deputy general counsel and corporate secretary in November 2018, the release stated. He previously served as assistant general counsel at First Niagara Bank, NA and as partner at the law firm Hiscock & Barclay, LLP.

Burruano earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University at Buffalo with a concentration in finance. He received his law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

Five Star Bank, based in Warsaw in Wyoming County, has more than 50 branches throughout Western and Central New York. Its CNY branches include offices in Auburn, Geneva (2), Seneca Falls, Elmira (2), and Horseheads.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com

Photo credit: Financial Institutions, Inc.