text: BB&T commits to Lititz - Lititz Record Express
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  BB&T commits to Lititz
  "BB&T Corporation plans to retain Susquehanna Bancshares' headquarters campus in Lititz and continue to operate a customer service center and other operations there…"- David White, BB&T Vice President Corporate Communications
  Questions linger despite the finalization last Saturday of the deal that essentially dissolves Susquehanna Bancshares into BB&T Corp.
  There is good news and bad — though the downside of imminent jobs cuts in Lititz remains much of a mystery.
  "As we continue toward the core banking conversion in the fourth quarter of 2015, we are still working through many elements of the merger process," said David White, BB&T vice president corporate communications Monday in an e-mail .
  White said the Salem, North Carolina-based bank is committed to Lititz and reassured that BB&T has no interest in leaving the borough.
  "BB&T Corporation plans to retain Susquehanna Bancshares' headquarters campus in Lititz and continue to operate a customer service center and other operations there following the conversion later this year," he said.
  Though BB&T would not be specific, it has been firm there would be job cuts since the $2.5 billion deal initiated in November.
  As part of the deal, BB&T announced plans to cut $160 million from Susquehanna's annual operating expenses and eliminate jobs mostly from "backroom" positions versus "customer-facing' employees.
  Published reports last week noted that a large number of Susquehanna back-office personnel "largely in Lititz" received notices that their position would be eliminated from BB&T.
  White did not confirm those cuts but said BB&T is working through the process very carefully.
  "We recognize that this can be a very challenging time for some of our valued Susquehanna associates," White said. "We do not take lightly the decision to reassign a position. The line of business managers review each specific job position before making a determination on its future status."
  Last week the Philadelphia Business Journal reported that BB&T will part ways with the bulk of Susquehanna's SBA-lending team.
  BB&T will split with Lynn Ozer, President, SBA/ Government Guaranteed Lending at Susquehanna and the bulk of her 21-person SBA lending team, according to the story.
  Ozer had managed SBA lending covering four states and over 261 office locations.
  "We have said from the beginning that we expect to retain all high-performing, direct client facing associates and revenue producers," White noted. "We expect some back office consolidation with some job reductions. BB&T makes every effort to place associates whose jobs are affected by this merger into a comparable position."
  White noted that severance packages and outplacement services will be offered to all associates who are displaced.