HomeStreet Bank has hired Gerhard Erdelji to lead Investor Relations for the company. Erdelji will be based in Seattle.

Erdelji has significant financial-services experience and was most recently with Sterne, Agee & Leach in Newport Beach, Calif. where he helped start the firm’s west coast practice for financial-institution investment banking.

“Gerhard has as incredibly strong background in finance and deep knowledge of financial-services companies in particular,” said HomeStreet CFO Melba Bartels. “We look forward to Gerhard bringing that experience to HomeStreet.”

From Southern California, Erdelji earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration, specializing in finance, from California State University in Fullerton. He spent eight years as a safety and soundness and capital markets examiner for the Office of Thrift Supervision. Erdelji then joined FBR Capital Markets Corp. for ten years where he participated in over $3 billion in capital markets and M&A activities for the firm’s clients. Afterward, he joined ROTH Capital Partners where he helped establish a financial institutions banking group at the firm.

For more information on HomeStreet Inc. and to access investor relations information, please visit http://ir.homestreet.com.

About HomeStreet, Inc.

Now in its 95th year, HomeStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:HMST) is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is the holding company for HomeStreet Bank, a state-chartered, FDIC-insured savings bank. HomeStreet offers consumer, commercial and private banking services and investment and insurance products in Washington, Oregon and Hawaii, and originates residential and commercial mortgages and construction loans for borrowers located in the Western United States. The bank has consistently received an “outstanding” rating under the federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Additional information on HomeStreet Bank can be found at www.homestreet.com.