First Republic Bank, the San Francisco-headquartered private bank and wealth management company, has hired James Meany as a regional managing director.

Meany will be based in the bank's Palm Beach office and oversee First Republic's banking and wealth management operations in the region.

This includes services such as trust, investment consulting and advisory, which the firm has specialized in while serving high net worth individuals and families, foundations, and endowments.

Prior to joining First Republic, Meany was president of Sabadell Bank & Trust, Palm Beach, where he was a member of the bank's investment, trust and fiduciary committees. He previously helped found Island National Bank & Trust in Palm Beach and following its sale to Wachovia Bank, Meany was named managing director of OffitBank, a Wachovia company.

In related news, total wealth management assets at First Republic soared 61 per cent from $23.3 billion in the second quarter of 2012 to $37.4 billion at end-June 2013, when the firm revealed its quarterly results for the second quarter of 2013.