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CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifth Third Bank, N.A. headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, a national bank charter of Fifth Third Bancorp, announced the appointment of Robert E. James, Jr. to its board of directors.

"Fifth Third Bank's model enables us to function as a local bank with a national charter and control, while at the same time having the product and service offerings of a super regional bank. James is an accomplished business and community leader and a tremendous addition to the board. We believe he will be instrumental in helping Fifth Third Bank continue its growth in North Carolina," said Dan Hogan, president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, N.A.

Robert James, Jr. is president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, N.A. (North Carolina), Fifth Third's affiliate in North Carolina, where he leads the day-to-day operations of 55 Financial Centers, and the other lines of business.

Prior to joining Fifth Third Bank, James served as president and CEO of First Charter Corporation. He held this position from July 2005 to June 2008. He joined First Charter in 1999 as executive vice president, responsible for all customer contact areas including Retail, Commercial, Mortgage Services, Brokerage Services, Marketing, Wealth Management and Insurance Services, and was elected president and CEO of First Charter Bank in 2004, at which time he assumed the additional management responsibilities for the Information Technology, Bank Operations, Human Resources and Credit Risk Management functions. Prior to joining First Charter, Mr. James held numerous management positions over 25 years with another bank in the North Carolina market.

James has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking. He is a member of the board of directors of North Carolina Bankers Association, Afro-American Cultural Center (Charlotte), and Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. James served on the committees of the United Way of Charlotte, Providence United Methodist Church and the 2009 Heart Ball.

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $116 billion in assets, operates 18 affiliates with 1,308 full-service Banking Centers, including 92 Bank Mart locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,341 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates five main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, Investment Advisors and Fifth Third Processing Solutions. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of September 30, 2008, has $196 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $30 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ(R) National Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Member FDIC.