Mr Gifford will be responsible for providing financial leadership for all areas of the company, including treasury functions, financial and accounting functions, budget and planning functions, and investor relations.

Mr Gifford has been serving as interim CFO since September 2007. He has previously served with First Place Bank as principal accounting officer and as corporate vice president for finance. He has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from The Ohio State University.

Steven Lewis, president, CEO of First Place Financial, said: We are pleased to have David Gifford join our senior team. His 30 years of management experience and expertise with financial institutions will be critical as we continue to execute our strategic plan.