SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ: ZION) today announced that John C. Erickson has been elected to its board of directors.

Mr. Erickson served for more than 30 years at Union Bank, a financial institution with more than $100 billion in assets.  Mr. Erickson served on all key committees and in various management roles, culminating in an appointment as the company's Vice Chairman. His experience as Union Bank's Chief Risk Officer during the most recent recession is particularly relevant to Zions as it continues to develop one of the nation's premier risk management organizations. In addition to his role in risk management, Mr. Erickson served as Union Bank's Chief Corporate Banking Officer and oversaw various business units including commercial banking, wealth management, treasury management, and capital markets.  These businesses were responsible for generating the substantial majority of Union Bank's net income.

"We're very pleased that John Erickson is joining our board of directors," said Harris H. Simmons, Zions Bancorporation's Chairman and CEO. "His deep commercial banking experience will be valuable as Zions strives to achieve strong, organic revenue growth.  Additionally, his risk management experience will further strengthen our board's expertise in this critical area as we further refine our risk management practices in an environment of intensified regulatory and market expectations."

Mr. Erickson commented, "I am very pleased to have the opportunity to serve on the board of Zions Bancorporation.  I look forward to working with fellow board members and management to help grow this attractive franchise while meeting the challenges of a constantly evolving financial services environment."

Zions Bancorporation is one of the nation's premier financial services companies, consisting of a collection of great banks in select western U.S. markets with combined assets exceeding $55 billion.  Zions operates its banking businesses under local management teams and community identities in 11 western and southwestern states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The company is a national leader in Small Business Administration lending and public finance advisory services and is a consistent recipient of numerous Greenwich Excellence awards in banking. In addition, Zions is included in the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Financial 100 indices. Investor information and links to subsidiary banks can be accessed at www.zionsbancorporation.com.

SOURCE Zions Bancorporation