Citizens National Bank has recently expanded its Community Development Department by promoting Leslie Portis to serve as a Community Development Mortgage Officer.    

In this position, she will be reporting to Tra Alford, who is the Bank’s Community Development Director.

“Our Bank has recognized that a large segment of the people in the communities we serve, simply lack the resources necessary to achieve home ownership,” Alford said. “Leslie’s new role represents the bank’s investment of the human capital required to help members of our community identify those needed resources and make the transition from being renters to homeowners.  She will be serving our customers as needed and forming valuable partnerships out in the community to help us extend our services to those who need them the most,” Alford added.

Portis has 15 years of experience in the mortgage lending area and has been employed with the Bank since April 2007. During her career at the Bank she has held a variety of positions at CNB’s Operations Center, serving as a loan processor and documentation specialist, and consumer loan underwriter/collector.  Since May 2016, she has served as a mortgage underwriter and closer.

She received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from MSU Meridian in May of this year and also holds an Associate in Arts degree from Meridian Community College. Striving for excellence, Portis has received CNB’s High Performance award for the 3rd Quarter 2016 as well as for the 1st Quarter of 2017.

She and her husband, Dennis have two sons.  Ladarius is a senior at West Lauderdale High School, and Devin is a 7th grader at West Lauderdale Middle School.  The family attends Friendship Baptist Church in Collinsville, where Leslie teaches a youth Sunday School class and also sings in the choir.

Citizens National Bank is an independent, Mississippi-based community bank, with 26 locations in Meridian, Quitman, Philadelphia, Columbus, Kosciusko, Carthage, Macon, Southaven, Olive Branch, Hattiesburg, Laurel, Waynesboro, Flowood, Ridgeland, and Madison.

The Bank has assets in excess of $1.3 billion and manages over $1 billion in its Wealth Management Division, which is committed to assisting clients with the accumulation, and transfer of wealth.