WILMINGTON, Del. - (Business Wire) Wilmington Trust Corporation (NYSE: WL) announced today that The Honorable Louis J. Freeh has been elected to its Board of Directors. Mr. Freeh, 59, is founder and senior managing partner of Freeh Group International, LLC, a global risk management consulting firm based in Wilmington, Delaware, and its affiliated law firm, Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP, which is based in Washington, D.C. Well-known as a former director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Mr. Freeh has enjoyed a distinguished career in the legal, law enforcement, and financial services sectors. “Louie’s extensive professional experience in the international realm and his corporate governance expertise make him well suited for a place on our Board,” said Ted T. Cecala, chairman and CEO of Wilmington Trust. “His perspective on complex matters and his ability to recommend effective solutions will be tremendous assets to us. He has demonstrated high ideals in both the public and private sectors, and we are delighted to welcome him to our Board.”
Mr. Freeh began his career in 1975 as a special agent for the FBI, working assignments both at the FBI headquarters in Washington and in New York. In 1981, he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he successfully prosecuted many federal criminal cases as an assistant and a deputy U.S. attorney. In 1991, he was appointed U.S. district court judge for the Southern District of New York.
In 1993, Mr. Freeh was appointed by President William J. Clinton as the tenth director of the FBI, a position he held for eight years. Upon leaving the FBI in 2001, Mr. Freeh began a private sector career as vice chairman, general counsel, and ethics officer for MBNA America Bank, N.A., in Wilmington, where he served as MBNA’s principal lawyer in its 2006 acquisition by Bank of America.
Mr. Freeh graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers University in 1971. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Rutgers Law School in 1974 and his Master of Laws (LL.M.), in criminal law, from New York University Law School in 1984. Mr. Freeh has been recognized several times for exemplary accomplishments during his career, including receiving the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, the second highest annual honor given by the Department of Justice, on two occasions; the John Marshall Award for Preparation of Litigation, also from the Attorney General; and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Award.
Mr. Freeh’s election to Wilmington Trust’s Board of Directors Class of 2012 was effective on October 21, 2009. In addition to his Wilmington Trust Board seat, Mr. Freeh serves on the Board of Bristol-Myers Squibb.
“I have held Wilmington Trust in high regard for many years as a principled and well-managed institution,” said Mr. Freeh. “I look forward to applying my experience alongside my fellow Board members in ways that will benefit the company’s shareholders, clients, and staff members.”
Also effective on October 21, 2009, was Thomas L. du Pont’s resignation from Wilmington Trust’s Board. Mr. du Pont, 60, resigned citing business and family considerations. He had been on Wilmington Trust’s Board since September 2006.
“I would like to thank Tom du Pont for his service to our Board,” Mr. Cecala said. “With his sharp business acumen and keen insights, he contributed significantly to the legacy of leadership established by his ancestors more than 100 years ago when they founded our company.”
Wilmington Trust Corporation (NYSE: WL) is a financial services holding company that provides Regional Banking services throughout the mid-Atlantic region, Wealth Advisory Services for high-net-worth clients in 36 countries, and Corporate Client Services for institutional clients in 88 countries. Its wholly owned bank subsidiary, Wilmington Trust Company, which was founded in 1903, is one of the largest personal trust providers in the United States and the leading retail and commercial bank in Delaware. Wilmington Trust Corporation and its affiliates have offices in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, the Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam.
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