WaterStone Bank: Announces new executive officer, controller

Contact: Heather Sullivan, Community Relations Coordinator, 414-459-4183,
heathersullivan@wsbonline.com

Wauwatosa – WaterStone Bank is announcing the appointment of Mark R. Gerke as the company’s senior vice president and chief financial officer of WaterStone Bank and Waterstone Financial, Inc.

Gerke joined WaterStone Bank in October of 2005 as corporate controller. Prior to joining WaterStone, he served in various positions with the global professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP, including a role as senior manager in assurance services. He has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2002 and holds degrees in accounting and business administration from the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay.

In February of 2014, Gerke was appointed vice president, controller and principal accounting officer of Waterstone Financial, Inc.

An active member of the community, Gerke currently serves as treasurer on the advisory board for Best Buddies Wisconsin. He resides in Whitefish Bay.

In addition to Gerke’s appointment as executive officer of the bank, the company has appointed Kyle Mertz as controller. Prior to this appointment, Mertz served as assistant controller for WaterStone. He previously held roles as financial analyst for Kohls and senior audit associate for KPMG. Mertz earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from UW-Whitewater. He is a Certificated Public Accountant in the state of Wisconsin.

“Mark and Kyle were instrumental in our public offering in 2014 and all our financial reporting since,” said Doug Gordon, president and CEO of WaterStone Bank. “They are now taking expanding roles in our investor relations and strategic initiatives.”

About WaterStone Bank
WaterStone Bank, established in 1921, offers a full suite of personal and business banking products. The community bank has branches in Wauwatosa, Brookfield, Fox Point, Franklin/Hales Corners, Germantown/Menomonee Falls, Greenfield, Oak Creek, Oconomowoc/Lake Country, Pewaukee, Waukesha/Brookfield and West Allis, Wisconsin along with a commercial lending branch in Minneapolis, Minnesota. WaterStone Bank is the parent company to Waterstone Mortgage, which offers mortgage banking offices in 20 states. For more information about WaterStone Bank, go to wsbonline.com. Follow WaterStone Bank on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+.