Roberto Herencia, the longtime president of Banco Popular North America who went on to head Midwest Banc Holdings Inc., is back in the banking industry.

Herencia  has joined the board  of SKBHC Holdings, which on Oct. 26 got Federal Reserve approval to become a bank holding company.  Its investors include an Illinois pension plan.

Based in Corona del Mar, Calif., SKBHC is focused on acquiring lenders primarily in the Pacific Northwest, the West Coast and the Southwest.

For example, SKBHC plans to  invest up to $200 million in Spokane, Wash.-based AmericanWest. This month it also  acquired First National Bank of Starbuck, Minn.

SKBHC attracted  about $750 million in funding commitments from pension funds, mutual funds and private investors, according to its Web site.

Last May the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois committed up to $100 million to the group, according the pension fund’s minutes. An investment fund managed by Goldman Sachs has also invested in SKBHC.

SKBHC, formed in December 2009,  is headed by Scott Kisting, who most recently was co-head of the global banking group for Merrill Lynch in New York.

Besides Herencia, board members include John McCoy, former chairman of BankOne Corp.

This week, Herencia was nominated by the Obama administration to serve on the board of the Overseas Private Investment Corp., a government agency that  helps U.S. businesses invest overseas.