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Mr. Ford has served as a director of ARC since June 30, 2005 and serves as the Chairman of the nominating and corporate governance committee and as a member of the compensation committee of ARC. Mr. Ford is a banking and financial institutions entrepreneur who has been involved in numerous mergers and acquisitions of private and public sector financial institutions, primarily in the Southwest United States, over the past 30 years. In this capacity he acquired and consolidated 30 commercial banks from 1975 to 1993, forming First United Bank Group, Inc., a multi-bank holding company for which he functioned as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer until its sale in 1994. During this period he also led investment consortiums that acquired numerous financial institutions, forming in succession: First Gibraltar Bank, FSB, First Madison Bank, FSB and First Nationwide Bank. Mr. Ford also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Golden State Bancorp Inc. and its subsidiary, California Federal Bank, FSB, from 1998 to 2002. He currently participates on numerous boards of directors, including Triad Financial Corporation, for which he is also Chairman of the Board, First Acceptance Corporation, for which he is also Chairman of the Board, McMoRan Exploration Co., and Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. Mr. Ford holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics, as well as a Juris Doctorate Degree, from Southern Methodist University, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. | 