Christian Lewis Named President of First Western Trust Bank's DTC|Cherry Hills Office

DENVER, CO--(Marketwire - December 22, 2009) - First Western Trust Bank announced today that Christian Lewis has been named President of the firm's DTC|Cherry Hills office.

First Western Trust Bank is the West's premier private bank and trust company, providing high net worth individuals and families with wealth management solutions that cater to each client's unique needs. Mr. Lewis will be responsible for overseeing the firm's private banking activities in the DTC|Cherry Hills office, including lending and banking as well as trust services, investment management, and customized wealth planning.

DTC|Cherry Hills represents Colorado's second largest financial market.

"Christian has already provided exceptional leadership for our DTC|Cherry Hills office in his role as Senior Vice President," said Lou Clinton, President of First Western's Colorado Bank. "Given his impressive contributions to the firm and to the community, we're entirely confident in his continued success as President."

In his previous role as Senior Vice President, Mr. Lewis was responsible for building client banking and lending relationships in the Denver Metro area. Prior to joining First Western, he was a Vice President at US Bank for the private Client Group, and a Branch Manager for Commercial Federal Bank.

Mr. Lewis, who has earned the CFP® designation, holds a BSBA from Creighton University, College of Business Administration, and an MBA from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business. He has been involved with the Downtown Denver Partnership and Alliance for Corporate Growth (ACG) Leadership programs, and has served on the Associate Board for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver since 2007.

About First Western Financial, Inc.

First Western Financial, Inc. (FWF) is the holding company of First Western Trust Bank and First Western Investment Management. First Western Trust Bank is the best private bank for the Western wealth management client providing comprehensive tailored solutions in the areas of wealth planning, private banking, investment management and trust services. With $2.9 billion in assets under management, FWF was recently ranked by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest growing bank/bank holding institution in the country. Built specifically for the new economies of the West, the firm has offices in Arizona, California, and Colorado. For more information, please visit www.fwtb.com or call 303-531-8100.

Contact Information: For more information, please contact: Lydia Rodriguez First Western Trust Bank (303) 531-8100 Morrison Shafroth CSG | PR 720-470-3653