Woburn, Massachusetts, April 27, 2022 – Northern Bank, a full-service community and business bank, today announced the appointment of Charles Smith as its new Head of SBA Lending.
Smith joins Northern Bank from Eastern Bank, where he spent more than 11 years working in its SBA program as a specialist and senior vice president. Prior to that, he worked as a lender relations specialist at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Boston office.
“We are excited to grow the size and capabilities of our SBA lending team with the addition of Charles, whose background and relationships in New England’s small business community will serve our customers well,” said Jim Mawn, President and CEO of Northern Bank.
The addition of Smith is Northern Bank’s latest measure to meet growing demand for access to capital, both in its traditional community lending operations and national franchise lending program.
“I am excited to join a business lending team that is rapidly growing to better meet the needs of all customers,” said Smith. “There’s a strong history here of supporting entrepreneurs and their dreams. I can’t wait to get started.”
At Eastern Bank, Smith oversaw the SBA unit within the bank, which included marketing and promotion of the program, providing consultation services to small businesses, assisting with loan structuring, oversight of program administration, goal setting, and management of team members. Under Smith’s leadership, Eastern was the highest ranked SBA lender in Massachusetts for over a decade.
Smith, who will work out of Northern Bank’s Woburn, Mass. headquarters, will assume similar duties, including partnering with the bank’s 13 branch locations to expand community lending. He will also apply his SBA expertise to Northern Bank’s national franchise lending efforts, creating opportunities to finance new concepts.
Smith received his B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical University. He earned a JD and MBA in Finance and Business Law from the Texas Tech School of Law and Texas Tech Rawls College of Business. He is now a Ph. D. candidate in the entrepreneurship program at UMass Lowell.
Northern Bank is currently ranked by the SBA as the top lender to Massachusetts small businesses in the accommodations industry.
