Customers Bank in Wyomissing Hires SBA National Director

Customers Bank in Wyomissing, Pa., has announced three new appointments to executive positions, including one to the newly created role of Small Business Administration national director.

Kevin Gallagher will create an SBA sales team that will operate in select markets nationally, the $5.6 billion-asset subsidiary of Customers Bancorp said in a press release Wednesday. Prior to joining Customers, he was SBA national sales director at Citibank and has held executive positions at the New York Business Development Corporation and Gallagher Associates, a commercial mortgage brokerage company. Gallagher, who is a New York licensed real estate broker, will work out of Melville, N.Y.

"We're looking forward to creating a solid SBA lending team under Kevin's direction and establishing a program that will be a go-to loan resource for small businesses throughout our service area," Richard Ehst, president and chief operating officer of Customers Bank, said in a news release.

More community banks, including United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., Hanmi Financial in Los Angeles and Crestmark Bank in Troy, Mich., are offering SBA loans outside of their traditional footprints because of strong demand for SBA loans and a robust secondary market.

Customers also on Tuesday named Roddrick Lynch as director of community reinvestment and fair and responsible banking. Lynch will monitor the bank's compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act, as well as other regulation, including the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. He has been a banker for 24 years and previously worked at First Niagara Bank.

In addition, Customers appointed its former CRA officer, Joseph E. Schupp, as community development officer for Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Schupp will be based in Exeter Township, Pa.

Customers provides SBA, multifamily and residential property mortgage loans in Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

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