NewBridge board member steps down

Greensboro-based NewBridge Bancorp, the holding company of NewBridge Bank, said Wednesday that Robert Lowe is leaving the boards of both.

Lowe will officially step down from the boards at the company's annual shareholders meeting, set for May 15.

Lowe retired as CEO of the holding company in 2008. Prior to that, he was chairman and CEO of Lexington State Bank, which merged with Greensboro-based FNB Southeast in 2007 to form NewBridge.

Lowe was chairman of NewBridge Bancorp and NewBridge Bank until 2009, after which he remained on the boards of both.

Earlier this year, NewBridge announced plans to open its first full-service branch in Charlotte.

The community bank, which has a Charlotte loan-production office that provides commercial lending and mortgage banking services, in February unveiled plans to open a 6,000-square-foot office in SouthPark at 5925 Carnegie Blvd. The office is expected to be in the ground floor of the Carnegie VIII building.

David Barksdale, Chief Banking Officer for NewBridge, has said the office will open in the second quarter. The bank has said it will relocate its commercial and mortgage banking operations to the new office.