Ending a family legacy four generations long, Margaret Irvine Weir will step down as NexTier Bank’s president effective Oct. 28.

“I will miss the customers and associates who have become like family, but I know I leave the bank in the very capable hands of our management team,” said Irvine Weir, who has accepted a job with Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh.

Maria W. Smathers, senior vice president of marketing and retail at NexTier, said the bank’s board of directors has not determined if it will pick someone to be president or if it will fill Irvine Weir’s seat on the board.

Meantime, NexTier’s executive management team will share Irvine Weir’s responsibilities, and Don S. Shamey remains CEO of the bank.

This change comes just months from the closing of the merger of NexTier and the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Western PA in Kittanning.

The new regional bank, which keeps the NexTier name, will have about $1 billion in assets and 24 locations in Armstrong, Butler and Allegheny counties.

The Snyder Group of Kittanning has majority ownership in both privately owned organizations.

Irvine Weir reflected on her role with the bank in a written statement issued Monday: “NexTier has always been an integral part of my life. I spent my early years visiting both my grandfather and father when each served as president, and they gave me a chance to follow in their footsteps.”

NexTier Bank, formerly Citizens National Bank, began in Evans City in 1878. In 1907, the state bank charter was changed to a national charter and S.J. Irvine, Irvine Weir’s great grandfather, became the first bank president.

Her grandfather and her father held the presidential title before she took it in 2000.

Mark Snyder, chairman of the NexTier board, said, “We regrettably honor Margaret’s decision. The board and I are grateful to Margaret for her leadership, integrity and resilience in guiding NexTier through the challenges the bank has faced over the past four years.

“We wish her all the best in the next stage of her career.”

In 2010, a planned merger with Northwest Savings Bank of Warren, Pa., fell apart after the deal failed to get regulatory approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

At that time, officials at NexTier said they were looking for the merger because bank assets in Arizona, owned by NexTier since the mid-1990s, were continuing to lose value. A downturn in the real estate market put those assets in the red. Customers there were still paying on their loans, but because the value of the collateral has decreased, those loans were “problem debt.”

In 2011, The Snyder Group invested just less than $2 million, or 9.9 percent of the overall investment, in NexTier to keep the bank independent and to help it meet federal banking regulations. Snyder, in exchange, took control of 51 percent of NexTier’s stock.

Since that time, the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has lifted an oversight agreement with NexTier that had been in place since June 2010.

Irvine Weir said, “The past couple years have been challenging, but NexTier was recently released from both the OCC and Federal Reserve agreements we were under and we’ve built a strong foundation for the future.

“NexTier is well-positioned for continued profitability and growth.”

Irvine Weir will start her job as the director of member services at Federal Home Loan Bank on Nov. 4.

According to it’s Internet site, FHLBank Pittsburgh provides low-cost funding for affordable housing and community development to 293 financial institutions in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Irvine Weir said, “There comes a time when a new challenge is presented that makes sense. The opportunity to continue to work within the financial services industry in a different capacity, in a role that I feel extremely passionate about, is an exciting direction for my career at this time.”

Shamey said, “Margaret has been instrumental in the success of NexTier during the past 24 years. She has shown exceptional leadership and vision in continuously driving the organization forward.

“We know this is a great opportunity for Margaret and wish her much success.”

In addition to Shamey, the board of directors includes Robert Wagner, president, Oberg Industries; Ralph Hardt, president, Jagemann Stamping; Mark Snyder, chairman and CEO, Sylvan; Richard Krauland, president and CEO, Farmers & Merchants Bank of Western PA and Mark Karenchak, chief financial officer, Snyder Associated Companies.