Santander Bank today announced that is has expanded the Commercial Banking Equipment Finance and Leasing business with the addition of four industry experts to the team. The new hires report to Vincent Belcastro, head of Equipment Financing and Leasing, and expand the teams’ geographic reach and the key industry sectors it serves.
Robert Rubino, Santander Bank’s co-president and head of Commercial Banking, said, “Our equipment finance business has seen tremendous growth over the past two years, as current and new clients continue to respond favorably to the value of our deepening expertise. Our focus on consistently bringing valuable ideas and solutions to clients as a trusted advisor and life-cycle financial partner is powering our growth across all of our businesses, including equipment finance, and we are committed to adding resources to meet the needs of every client.”
The new Equipment Finance and Leasing hires bring more than 100 years of collective experience to Santander and expands the team to more than 30 professionals.
· Cheryl Cohen joins Santander as senior vice president and national business development officer for the healthcare industry. With more than 35 years in healthcare, Cheryl most recently served the industry providing equipment finance solutions at Wells Fargo and Pantheon Capital. She also brings client-side experience, having worked as CFO of a mid-sized hospital chain and as director of finance for a large healthcare insurance system. With a degree in Finance and Accounting from Stockton University, and an MBA from Rider University, Cheryl is a Fellow and active leader in the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).
· Michael Johnson is senior vice president for the Southeast market, based in Atlanta, and serves clients in Georgia, West Virginia and the surrounding states. Michael comes to Santander with more than 30 years of experience, including business development, credit and portfolio management roles in equipment finance and asset-based lending at SunTrust Bank, CIT, Bank United and GE Capital. He has a degree in Finance from Ohio State and an MBA from Georgia State University.
· Based in Chicago, Thomas Linebarger is senior vice president covering the Midwest markets for clients in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota. Linebarger brings expertise in transportation and manufacturing, including the automotive industry, from a 30 year career in commercial banking and equipment finance with Merrill Lynch, Stonebriar and CIT. Tom has a degree in Finance from the Cox School of Business.
· Christopher Clark, based in Rochester, New York, joins the team as senior vice president serving upstate New York and the northern New England assisting clients in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut. Chris brings more than 20 years of experience in the equipment finance industry, including a variety of roles in credit, underwriting, operations, and new business development at Wells Fargo, First Niagara, TCF and GE Capital. He is a long-time resident of western New York and has a degree in Finance and an MBA from the University at Buffalo.
Vincent Belcastro, Santander’s head of Equipment Financing and Leasing, commented on the importance of the new additions to his team. “We strive to differentiate from our peers by providing valuable ideas and solutions based on deep industry knowledge that is matched with a speed of execution that our clients value. Cheryl, Michael, Thomas and Christopher are seasoned equipment finance professionals that will help us continue to grow our client base across the U.S. with the highest caliber of execution and expertise to every client they serve.”
Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the country’s largest retail and commercial banks and an active provider of capital, treasury management, risk management and international solutions to thousands of corporate and institutional clients across a wide variety of industries and geographies in the United States. Offering specialty groups of experienced bankers in Asset Based Lending, Government Banking, Auto Finance, Commercial Real Estate Banking, Commercial Equipment & Vehicle Financing, Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT), Healthcare, Transportation & Logistics, Food & Beverage and Consumer Retail, along with experts in Middle Market and Global Banking & Markets, Santander earns the loyalty of its commercial banking clients by offering services that help them manage their operating needs, maximize their working capital and grow their business domestically and internationally. The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Madrid-based Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN) - one of the most respected banking groups in the world with more than 125 million customers in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. For more information, please visit www.santanderbank.com.