Needham Bank Names Former FBI Agent Mark Morelli as FVP, Bank Secrecy Act Officer

NEEDHAM, MA---Needham Bank today announced that Mark Morelli of Bellingham has joined the bank as First Vice-President, Bank Secrecy Act Officer. Reporting to SVP and Chief Risk Officer Peter Bakkala, Morelli is responsible for the implementation and administration of all aspects of the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Compliance Program. He will also oversee security-related programs at the Bank.

“At Needham Bank we strive to achieve the highest standards in terms of regulatory compliance,” said Bakkala. “Mark Morelli, with his extensive experience in law enforcement, security and financial services, has the skill set and knowledge needed in this important role.”

Morelli began his career in law enforcement as a police officer with the Dallas, TX, Police Department in 1985. In 1988 he became a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, assigned to Rochester, NY. In 1986 he was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent at the FBI’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He subsequent took on roles of increasing responsibility, most notably as the FBI’s On-Scene-Commander in Afghanistan in 2007 and as Assistant Special Agent-In-Charge in Boston, where he provided leadership in to all Special Agents engaged in counter terrorism and counter intelligence programs in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

Subsequent to his FBI service, in 2008 Morelli became Director, Corporate Security, at Stream Global Services in Wellesley. He went on to serve as VP and Head of Investigations and Senior Risk Manager at Citizen’s Bank and, most recently, as SVP, Bank Secrecy Act Operations Manager, at Regions Bank in Birmingham, AL. He was awarded a BS degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in 1981.

“As one who went to college in Boston and became very familiar with the metropolitan Boston area during my tenure at the FBI’s Boston office and with Citizen’s Bank in Norwood and Canton, I couldn’t be happier, both personally and professionally” said Morelli. “Needham Bank has a reputation as not only a good citizen in the community, but as a trusted financial institution that adheres to the highest ethical standards. I am pleased to be asked to play a role in maintaining that reputation.”