The Alabama Bankers Association has named James T. Ramage III, chairman of the First National Bank of Brundidge, as the new chairman of its board of directors.

Ramage is a 1969 graduate of the University of Alabama and the great grandson of the bank’s founder, James T. Ramage. He has been with the bank for 50 years.

He currently serves as the mayor of Brundidge where he served as commissioner/mayor from 1976 until he was elected mayor in 1986 when the city changed its form of government to a mayor and city council form.

In addition to his career as a banker, Ramage also has a heart for public service, said ABA President and CEO Scott Latham.

“Jimmy has devoted much of his life to public service and banking,” Latham said. “In these roles, Jimmy enjoys developing relationships with people, helping to create vision in both his community and the banking industry. Jimmy is poised to serve well as chairman and is already at work meeting with our member banks to learn about the issues they face.”

Ramage said he is looking forward to working with all the bankers around the state as they continue to work to further improve the banking industry

“I’ve worked with a lot of bankers all over the state and I’m excited to have this opportunity to continue working with them and to get to know the younger bankers that I have recently been working with,” Ramage said.

“There are 155 banks in the state and, as chair of the Alabama Bankers Association, I will have opportunity to lobby for the Alabama banking industry in Washington as well as in Montgomery as we tell our story of banking to elected officials and regulators.”

Ramage was in Montgomery Friday to meet with Seth Hammett, chief of staff for Gov. Robert Bentley but would be back in Brundidge in the afternoon.

Ramage said as chairman of the Alabama Bankers Association, he will be out of town from time to time but will continue to be involved in the banking business in Brundidge.

“This is definitely not a paying job,” Ramage said, laughing.

In addition to his service as mayor, Ramage is also the chairman of the Charles Henderson Memorial Association Board of Directors.

He has been a member of the PowerSouth Energy Cooperative Board of Trustees since 1976, serving as its chairman from 2007-2010. Ramage and his wife Johnnie have two sons, James T. Ramage IV and John R. Ramage and five granddaughters.

The Alabama Bankers Association represents 155 banks. Banks in Alabama that have combined deposits of more than $83.5 billion and have 1,554 locations across the state.