Bank of the West, the San Francisco-based subsidiary of BNP Paribas, has strengthened its offering for high net worth and affluent clients with the launch of a wealth management center in Palo Alto, CA.

This is the the bank's fourth specialty center, with the others located in Los Angeles, Denver and San Jose. The new office is staffed by private client advisors who serve as central contacts to bring in trust advisors, private mortgage bankers and other wealth management professionals as needed, the firm said. At least three more such centers will be launched this year, with its flagship branch in San Francisco slated to open by the second quarter.

The expansion complements the launch of a dedicated banking and sales strategy team as part of the wealth management group in December 2011, led by former UBS and Aegon executive Brian Katz as senior vice president.

Bank of the West has around 700 branches across the US and records some $59 billion in assets under management.