Phil James has announced his retirement as Director of Insurance at Resource Bank, and Steve Braser will assume his position. The community is invited to a reception and retirement party for Phil James at the Resource Bank Genoa Branch, 310 S. Highway 23, Genoa, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20.

James has been in the insurance business for 36 years. In 1978, he came to the area from an agency in Richmond, Ill., to the Genoa Insurance Agency, where he spent 18 years. James joined Resource Insurance Agency, out of Malta, in 1999. The agency was relocated to the Resource Bank branch on Bethany Road in 2002, where it serves the greater DeKalb County today.

“We are sorry to see him go,” Richard Katz, Resource Bank president, said in a news release. “Phil has been an invaluable team member for so long and made so many contributions to the Insurance needs of DeKalb County. Of course, we wish him all the best in his retirement"