Christine P. Ball
About Christine P. Ball
Independent director at Hanmi Financial Corporation since 2025; age 67. Appointed effective March 1, 2025, she serves on the Company’s Risk, Compliance and Planning Committee (RCP) and on Hanmi Bank’s Loan & Credit Policy (LCP) and Asset Liability Management (ALM) Committees. Ball brings 35+ years in corporate, commercial, and private banking, including senior credit adjudication authority up to $100 million, with deep experience in syndications, credit administration, and risk management; she holds a BA (Economics) from UC Davis and an MBA (Finance) from Cornell (Johnson). The Board cites her regulatory governance and risk expertise as enhancing oversight for growth initiatives .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| City National Bank | SVP & Deputy Chief Credit Officer | 2022–2024 | Senior credit adjudication, risk oversight |
| City National Bank | SVP & Division Credit Manager – Entertainment | 2013–2022 | Sector lending, credit administration |
| Wells Fargo Bank | Senior Vice President | 2008–2013 | Corporate/commercial banking |
| Wachovia Bank | Senior Vice President | 2006–2008 | Corporate/commercial banking (merged into Wells Fargo) |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weingart Center Association | Board Chair | Not disclosed | Non-profit governance leadership |
| Jack Kramer Tennis Club | Prior Board President | Not disclosed | Community organization leadership |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined all directors (except the CEO) are independent under Nasdaq rules; Ball is independent .
- Committee assignments: Company RCP; Bank LCP and ALM, aligning her credit/risk background to enterprise risk oversight and balance sheet governance .
- RCP responsibilities and cadence: Oversees enterprise risk framework, strategic planning, and budgeting; held eight meetings in FY2024 (pre-dating Ball’s tenure) .
- Board activity and attendance: Nine joint Board meetings with Hanmi Bank in FY2024; all directors attended >75% of aggregate Board/committee meetings and attended the 2024 annual meeting (Ball joined in 2025; 2024 attendance metrics pre-date her service) .
- Shareholder election signal: At the May 28, 2025 annual meeting, Ball received 25,024,699 “For” votes vs. 18,240 “Against” (1,188,987 broker non-votes), indicating strong shareholder support .
Fixed Compensation
Director compensation structure (policy amounts):
| Item | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board annual cash retainer | $42,500 | Non-employee directors |
| Committee membership retainer – Audit | $6,000 | Annual |
| Committee membership retainer – LCP | $5,000 | Annual |
| Committee membership retainer – CHR | $4,000 | Annual |
| Committee membership retainer – NCG | $2,500 | Annual |
| Committee membership retainer – RCP | $5,000 | Annual |
| Committee membership retainer – ALM | $3,000 | Annual |
| Chairman of the Board retainer | $40,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Vice Chairman retainer | $20,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Committee chair retainer – Audit | $12,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Committee chair retainer – LCP | $9,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Committee chair retainer – CHR | $9,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Committee chair retainer – NCG | $9,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Committee chair retainer – RCP | $10,000 | Additional annual cash |
| Committee chair retainer – ALM | $9,000 | Additional annual cash |
Ball’s current assignments (RCP, LCP, ALM) imply eligibility for the corresponding membership retainers per policy .
Performance Compensation
Annual director equity and guideline metrics:
| Metric | Detail | Value/Date |
|---|---|---|
| Annual restricted stock grant (directors) | 2024 award value per director | $65,000 (policy) |
| 2024 grant specifics | Shares per director; grant date FV per share; vesting | 4,040 shares; $16.09; one-year vest; May 22, 2024 |
| Ball outstanding RSUs/options at 12/31/2024 | Directors’ status per proxy | Ball: None; no options |
| Director stock ownership guideline | Required value; compliance window | 3x annual retainer; 5 years to comply; 50% net shares retention for 12 months post vest/exercise |
Note: Ball joined in March 2025; her 2025 equity grant timing/amount not disclosed in the 2025 proxy; as of Dec 31, 2024 she had no outstanding restricted shares or options .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed in biography |
| Non-profit/other boards | Weingart Center Association (Chair); Jack Kramer Tennis Club (prior President) |
| Related-party ties/interlocks | No Item 404(a) related-party disclosures required for Ball; no family relationships or nomination arrangements disclosed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- 35+ years across corporate/commercial/private banking; loan syndications; global credit risk and credit administration .
- Senior credit adjudicator authority up to $100 million; extensive risk management and regulatory governance experience .
- Education: BA Economics (UC Davis), MBA Finance (Cornell Johnson) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Shares beneficially owned | April 2, 2025 (record date) | — (less than 1%) |
| Restricted shares outstanding | Dec 31, 2024 | 0 (Ball had none outstanding) |
| Stock options outstanding | Dec 31, 2024 | 0 |
| Ownership guideline status | Dec 31, 2024 | Not yet met (joined 2025; 5-year compliance window) |
| Hedging/pledging | Policy prohibits directors from pledging or hedging Company stock | Prohibited |
Governance Assessment
- Positives: Independent director with deep credit/risk credentials; assignment to RCP aligns with enterprise risk oversight; no related-party transactions (Item 404(a)) or family/arrangement ties disclosed; hedging/pledging prohibited; strong shareholder support at election (25,024,699 “For”) .
- Watch items: Early tenure and low initial ownership (no beneficial ownership reported as of April 2, 2025; no RSUs outstanding at 12/31/2024), though directors have five years to meet 3x retainer guideline; monitor 2025 RSU grant and progress toward guideline compliance for alignment .
- Board engagement context: RCP met eight times in 2024; Board held nine joint meetings; Ball’s attendance metrics will be observable in subsequent proxies given her March 2025 appointment .
Director Compensation (2024 context)
| Name | Cash Fees (2024) | Stock Awards (2024) | Total (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-employee directors (per proxy examples) | Various (e.g., Ahn $95,000; Chu $69,000; Marasco $49,583) | $65,004 each | Totals per director shown (e.g., Ahn $160,004) |
| Ball (status at 12/31/2024) | N/A (joined 2025) | $0 (no outstanding restricted shares) | N/A |
Company policy provides a $42,500 annual retainer plus committee retainers; annual restricted stock grants in Q2, with 2024 grant value $65,000 (4,040 shares at $16.09, one-year vest) .
Say-on-Pay & Shareholder Feedback (2025)
| Proposal | For | Against | Abstain | Broker Non-Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory vote on NEO compensation | 24,364,818 | 670,908 | 8,664 | 1,188,987 |
Independent CHR Committee uses an independent compensation consultant, references a peer group, maintains a clawback policy, and prohibits pledging/hedging by directors and executives—underscoring pay-for-performance governance .