Citizens Forms Health Care Banking Group

RBS Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has formed a health care banking group for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to a news report.

It will focus on lending for equipment purchases, building renovations and startups, and it will also provide commercial mortgage financing and credit card processing for health care companies, the Boston Business Journal reported.

Senior Vice President Lisa Enright will lead the group, according to the report. Senior Vice President Kathleen Ells and business-banking specialist Richard Rougier will also be part of the group.

Health care is drawing banks' attention as they compete for specialty loans. Regions Financial (RF), Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) and KeyCorp (KEY) are among the large regional banks with health care units, and smaller lenders have also been pushing into the market.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS), the parent company of Citizens, announced a few weeks ago that it will seek to sell a 25% stake in its U.S. unit within two years.