M&T Bank names president for central Va.

Robert "Hugh" Newton is the new president of the central Virginia region for M&T Bank. He is based in Richmond.

Newton has more than 30 years of banking experience and became part of M&T as the result of a merger with Provident Bank in late May.

Newton led the commercial banking group for Provident in Virginia, and continues to lead the same Richmond team of employees that he did with Provident.

In his new role at M&T Bank, Newton has regional responsibility for commercial banking, business banking, retail banking, commercial real estate and investments.

"Hugh is a skilled and experienced banker and as a native Virginian, he has a strong understanding of the market and the communities," said Atwood "Woody" Collins III, president of M&T Bank's mid-Atlantic division.

Newton, 57, received a bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in 1973 and a master's in business administration from the College of William and Mary in 1979.

He is a board member and past president of the Virginians of Maryland, raising scholarships for Maryland high school graduates attending colleges in Virginia.

"I am looking forward to leading the M&T team in central Virginia and bringing all the resources of a strong, stable bank like M&T to the communities here," Newton said.

M&T Bank has eight branches in the Richmond area and three in Fredericksburg. The bank has 55 branches in Virginia.

The Buffalo, N.Y.-based bank operates a network of 800 branches in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

-- Carol Hazard