Huntington Hires New Risk Chief — A Strategic Move as the Bank Grows

Huntington Bancshares Inc., the Columbus, Ohio-based regional banking giant, recently announced a key leadership change with the appointment of Senthil Kumar as its new Chief Risk Officer, effective February 16, 2026. The decision marks both a continuation of Huntington’s focus on disciplined growth and a recalibration of risk capabilities as the bank moves into a stricter U.S. regulatory category following major expansion.

The appointment has garnered attention not just within banking circles, but across financial markets, as Huntington prepares to manage risk at a scale it has never experienced before — especially after closing the Cadence Bank acquisition and crossing key asset thresholds.

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Who Is Huntington’s New Chief Risk Officer?

Senthil Kumar is Huntington’s newly named Chief Risk Officer, succeeding Helga Houston, who will transition into a Senior Executive Advisor role while remaining closely involved in strategic planning.

Kumar brings 25 years of risk leadership experience to Huntington:

• He most recently served as Chief Risk Officer at BNY Mellon, shaping risk policies across a global bank.

• Prior to that, he held senior risk roles at Citigroup, including CRO for the Institutional Clients Group — responsible for risk oversight in more than 100 countries.

• Earlier in his career, Kumar worked at Samba Financial Group and other institutions, giving him broad exposure to credit, market, operational and compliance risk.

• He holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and is a CFA charterholder, underscoring his analytical expertise.

Senthil Kumar will join Huntington’s executive leadership team and report directly to CEO Steve Steinour — a sign of how central risk management has become to the bank’s strategy.

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Why This Leadership Change Matters

On the surface, hiring a new chief risk officer is a routine C-suite adjustment. But this particular change happens at a pivotal moment for Huntington, for several important reasons:

1. Regulatory Shift — Entering Category III Banking

Huntington recently closed its merger with Cadence Bank, bringing its total assets to approximately $279 billion — above the $250 billion threshold that moves it into Category III under U.S. banking regulations.

Category III status means:

• Stricter liquidity requirements — Huntington must hold more high-quality liquid assets.

• Higher capital buffers — greater protections against stress scenarios.

• More frequent stress testing by regulators, including the Federal Reserve.

• Enhanced living will expectations — a detailed plan for how the bank could be wound down without systemic harm.

This shift dramatically increases the complexity of Huntington’s risk oversight, requiring a CRO with deep experience managing risk across large, regulated institutions — making Kumar’s background especially relevant.

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2. Mergers and Growth Pose Integration Challenges

The Cadence Bank acquisition also presents operational and risk integration challenges:

• Huntington must integrate core systems, product platforms and financial reporting while maintaining compliance throughout the transition.

• Technology migrations, always inherently risky, take on added importance in a bank undergoing rapid expansion.

• The expanded footprint — including hundreds of new branches and more than 1.5 million additional customers — increases the diversity and complexity of the credit and deposit portfolio to be managed.

A seasoned risk chief helps ensure that growth isn’t decoupled from control, and that risk culture permeates decision-making at every level.

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3. Reinforcing Risk Culture and Discipline

Banks of Huntington’s size face competitive pressures — from larger national banks to fintech disruptors — which can sometimes push growth at the expense of risk discipline. In the post-financial crisis era, risk officers increasingly serve as both gatekeepers and strategic partners — balancing growth objectives with safety and soundness.

Senthil Kumar’s background positions him to:

• Oversee credit risk, ensuring loan portfolios remain diversified and sound.

• Manage operational risks, from technology outages to process failures.

• Guide market risk strategy, particularly during periods of volatility.

• Ensure compliance functions evolve alongside regulatory expectations.

Essentially, Huntington is signaling that risk is not a back-office function but a core element of corporate strategy — and that someone with global risk oversight experience is best suited for the job.

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What the Transition Means for Helga Houston

Houston — who has served as Huntington’s CRO since 2011 — is not departing the company, but will shift into a Senior Executive Advisor role.

This transition allows Huntington to:

• Retain Houston’s institutional knowledge, valuable during the regulatory shift.

• Smoothly manage succession, avoiding sudden leadership vacuums in risk.

• Craft long-term risk and governance frameworks with input from someone who helped shape Huntington’s risk culture for over a decade.

Houston’s extended tenure and experience mean her advisory role could help mentor Kumar and ensure continuity in risk oversight.

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What This Signals About Huntington’s Strategy

Taken together, the leadership change and recent business developments reflect a broader strategic posture by Huntington:

Expansion Through Acquisition

Huntington’s merger with Cadence Bank is just one piece of a growth strategy that also saw the bank close a transaction with Veritex in late 2025. These moves expand Huntington’s presence in Texas and the Southern U.S., diversifying its geographic footprint.

Capitalizing on Regulatory Scale

Past a certain asset threshold, banks can leverage scale advantages in capital markets, payment systems, and borrowing costs — but only if they maintain strong risk controls. Huntington’s CRO hire suggests the bank is serious about winning in scale without inviting excessive risk.

Balancing Growth and Prudence

Market expectations increasingly reward banks that can sustain revenue growth while avoiding the kinds of credit problems and liquidity crises seen in past downturns. Huntington’s projected 11–14 % revenue growth in 2026, alongside disciplined expense management, highlights this balance.

Risk officers play a central role in shaping that balance — from model validation to stress testing to portfolio analytics.

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How the Market Is Responding

While Huntington’s stock reaction has been relatively muted — the shares moved slightly higher on the news — the broader market sees the leadership shift as prudent rather than destabilizing.

Analysts and shareholders will likely watch these areas closely:

• How Huntington manages the regulatory transition.

• Credit quality trends as the loan book expands.

• Operational risk during system conversions.

• Capital adequacy ratios and stress test outcomes.

Consistent performance and strong risk metrics could help attract long-term investors, while weaknesses could undermine confidence in Huntington’s strategy.

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Broader Trends in Bank Risk Leadership

Huntington’s hiring move aligns with broader industry trends where banks elevate CROs to strategic partners in growth — not just compliance overseers. After the banking crises of 2023 and granular scrutiny from regulators, risk management has emerged as a top-tier priority, with risk chiefs increasingly participating in enterprise strategy discussions.

In larger banks, CROs now often:

• Participate on executive committees.

• Influence capital allocation.

• Guide risk-weighted strategy and stress testing.

Huntington’s decision to bring in someone with deep global bank risk experience suggests the bank wants to emulate effective practices seen at larger institutions.

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Looking Ahead: What to Watch

The next several quarters will provide key data points on how well the CRO transition supports Huntington’s ambitions:

Integration Milestones
Will the Cadence systems conversion proceed smoothly mid-2026, with minimal disruption to customers?

Risk Adjusted Growth
Will loan performance, deposit quality and commercial credit metrics remain within acceptable thresholds as the bank grows?

Regulatory Outcomes
How will Huntington fare in upcoming stress tests and liquidity evaluations?

Cultural Integration
Will the risk culture evolve without friction between business units and risk controls?

Answers to these questions will shape investor confidence and regulatory relationships for years to come.

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Conclusion: A Timely and Strategic Appointment

Huntington’s appointment of Senthil Kumar as Chief Risk Officer — succeeding long-time risk executive Helga Houston — comes at a watershed moment for the bank. As Huntington crosses regulatory thresholds, completes major acquisitions and pursues regional expansion, the demand for seasoned risk leadership has never been greater.

By selecting a global risk expert with extensive experience at large institutions like BNY Mellon and Citigroup, Huntington is signaling that it intends not just to grow, but to do so with discipline, foresight, and a strong risk culture. For shareholders, regulators, and customers alike, the appointment underscores Huntington’s commitment to balancing opportunity with prudence — an essential formula in today’s dynamic banking landscape.