NBT Bancorp hires Sparks as general counsel

NORWICH, N.Y. — NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB) has hired M. Randolph (Randy) Sparks as executive VP and general counsel.

In this position, Sparks will coordinate NBT’s legal activities, manage external legal counsel, and assist in the oversight of relations with regulatory agencies, per an NBT news release. As a member of the executive management team, Sparks will also be appointed corporate secretary by NBT’s board of directors and will be based at the company’s Norwich headquarters.

Prior to joining NBT, Sparks served as general counsel and corporate secretary for MidFirst Bank, a full-service consumer and commercial bank based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Sparks also previously worked for Bank of America as chief counsel and managing director of global transaction services.

Sparks earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law. He also holds an MBA from St. Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Westminster College.

NBT Bancorp is a financial holding company with assets of $12 billion. The company operates primarily through NBT Bank, N.A., a full-service community bank with 140 branches in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut. The company also operates EPIC Retirement Plan Services, a Rochester–based benefits-administration firm, and NBT Insurance Agency, LLC, a Norwich–based full-service insurance agency.