First County Bank’s Board of Directors has announced that its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert J. Granata will retire in July 2026. Granata has led the bank since August 2019. He is retiring with more than 18 years at First County Bank and over 39 years in banking. His commitment to the community and tireless dedication to the bank’s mission have helped the bank flourish and earned Granata the respect and admiration of colleagues, customers and employees.
Under his direction, bank assets have grown 35% from $1.7 billion to $2.3 billion. Granata further strengthened commercial lending with growth exceeding 142% during this period along with strengthening of wealth management with newly appointed leadership, coupled with state-of-the- art wealth management technology systems. Under his leadership, the company was awarded the “Top Workplace Award” based upon employee feedback for six consecutive years. Additionally, Granata and his team have exceeded 96% in customer experience performance scores, further demonstrating an outstanding commitment to First County Bank’s customers, community and to its employees.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to be the chief executive officer of First County Bank. When you love what you do every day and who you do it with, it is a bittersweet decision to retire. It has been a joy to work with this dedicated team of talented and committed employees and a great Board of Directors that is focused on disciplined strategic planning, financial strength, regulatory compliance and its fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and good faith. I have every confidence that First County Bank will continue its history of growth and success,” said Granata.
A selection committee of the Board of Directors has been created to ensure a thorough search process and a seamless transition preserving the culture, mutuality and high standards of the institution. Granata will continue to serve as a corporator member of the Board of Directors.
Granata has been very active in the community and has been awarded many times. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Anselm College, graduated from New England School of Banking at Williams College and National School of Banking at Fairfield University.
First County Bank, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, for almost 175 years, is an independent mutual community bank with 13 branches in Stamford, Norwalk, Darien, Greenwich, Fairfield, New Canaan, and Westport offering deposit products, mortgages, wealth management, business banking services, and a full array of digital banking products.
