Berkshire Hills Bancorp Expands 44 Business Capital Division With Two Seasoned SBA Lending Professionals

Rhea-AI Summary

Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB) announced the hiring of Marissa Ames and Lynne Singletary to its 44 Business Capital team. This move aligns with the company's BEST strategic transformation initiative aimed at enhancing support for businesses and entrepreneurs. Both new hires bring extensive experience in SBA lending, with Ames having 21 years in the field and Singletary over 27 years. This expansion is designed to strengthen client relationships and improve lending expertise.

Positive

• Addition of experienced lenders enhances the 44 Business Capital team.
• Marissa Ames and Lynne Singletary bring a combined 48 years of SBA lending experience.

Negative

• None.

BOSTON, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB), the parent company of Berkshire Bank, a socially responsible community-dedicated bank with branch locations in New England and New York, is excited to announce the addition of two seasoned lending professionals to its 44 Business Capital team.

Marissa Ames and Lynne Singletary join Berkshire Bank's 44 Business Capital team of experienced lending professionals.

This expansion further supports the Company's Berkshire's Exciting Strategic Transformation (BEST) program and ongoing commitment to businesses and entrepreneurs. The new team members will provide additional lending expertise and support to each client relationship.

"Marissa and Lynne are talented lenders who know firsthand the impacts that good lending can have on businesses and the communities they serve," said Greg Poehlmann, SVP, Business Banking at 44 Business Capital. "They have learned it from spending decades in the SBA lending environment, creating value not only for businesses but also helping to strengthen communities. This kind of knowledge and ability is essential for small business lending."

More information on their backgrounds is included below. 

Marissa Ames has joined 44 Business Capital as FVP, SBA Lending. Ms. Ames has over 21 years of financial services experience focusing exclusively on SBA lending since 2005. She spent 16 years working with various national SBA lenders. Most recently, she was a Sr. Development Officer at First Internet Bank. She has been recognized for her approach to customer service, strategy, and engagement. Ms. Ames has worked with both entrepreneurs and referred businesses to assess, structure financings, and most importantly to understand each borrower's financial needs. Ms. Ames holds a bachelors and masters from Texas A&M University. She serves the South Florida area.

Lynne Singletary has also joined 44 Business Capital as FVP, SBA Lending. Ms. Singletary brings over 27 years of commercial lending experience to her role and to the customers of 44 Business Capital. She is well versed in providing guidance on simple to complex SBA Lending deals where she focuses primarily on securing SBA guaranteed lending solutions. Ms. Singletary was most recently a VP and Sr. SBA Business Development Officer with BankUnited. She is a graduate of Florida International University. Ms. Singletary serves the Central Florida area.

ABOUT BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP
Berkshire Hills Bancorp is the parent of Berkshire Bank, which is transforming what it means to bank its neighbors socially, humanly, and digitally to empower the financial potential of people, families, and businesses in its communities as it pursues its vision of being the leading socially responsible omnichannel community bank in the markets it serves. Berkshire Bank provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, wealth management, and investment services. Headquartered in Boston, Berkshire has approximately $11.7 billion in assets and operates 107 branch offices in New England and New York, and is a member of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. To learn more, call 800-773-5601 or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

ABOUT 44 BUSINESS CAPITAL
44 Business Capital, a direct small business lending division of Berkshire Bank, provides SBA Loans to Small Businesses. Small businesses are defined as companies with less than $5MM in net profit and less than $15MM in net worth. 44 Business Capital has offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Florida, Colorado, and Chicago, Illinois. Our clients include but are not limited to manufacturers, restaurants, professional services, retailers, wholesalers/distributors, healthcare professionals. With terms up to 25 years and fully amortizing (i.e., no call or balloon provisions), these SBA loans provide long-term certainty in an uncertain economic environment. Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender.

Media Contact:
Marc DeNofio AVP, Public Relations Officer
mdenofio@berkshirebank.com
Tel: (518) 322-5601

44 Business Capital Contact:
Greg Poehlmann
Senior Vice President
Tel: (267) 434-2368
gpoehlmann@44businesscapital.com

Investor Relations Contacts:
Kevin Conn, SVP, Investor Relations & Corporate Development
Email: KAConn@berkshirebank.com
Tel: (617) 641-9206
David Gonci, Capital Markets Director
Email: dgonci@berkshirebank.com
Tel: (413) 281-1973

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SOURCE Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc.

FAQ

What was announced by Berkshire Hills Bancorp on October 14, 2021?

Berkshire Hills Bancorp announced the addition of two experienced lending professionals, Marissa Ames and Lynne Singletary, to its 44 Business Capital team.

Who are the new additions to Berkshire Hills Bancorp's 44 Business Capital team?

The new additions are Marissa Ames and Lynne Singletary, both of whom have significant experience in SBA lending.

What impact does the addition of Marissa Ames and Lynne Singletary have on Berkshire Hills Bancorp?

Their hiring is expected to enhance business lending expertise, supporting the company's strategic initiatives and client relationships.

How does the hiring of new lending professionals relate to Berkshire Hills Bancorp's strategic goals?

The hiring supports the company's BEST strategic transformation program aimed at improving lending support for businesses and entrepreneurs.

What is the focus of 44 Business Capital, the division of Berkshire Hills Bancorp?

44 Business Capital focuses on providing SBA Loans to small businesses in various sectors.