Florence Bank Promotes Candace Pereira of East Longmeadow to the Role of Vice President / Commercial Lender
FLORENCE—Florence Bank has promoted Candace Pereira of East Longmeadow to the role of vice president / commercial lender.
Since 2018, she has worked at Florence Bank as assistant vice president / commercial portfolio manager in the Commercial Lending department. In her new role, Pereira will concentrate on commercial and industrial lending, and lending to women-owned businesses.
Pereira holds an associate degree in finance from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor’s in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently pursuing an MBA from Isenberg as well.
Pereira began her career in banking in 2003 and has held various roles at mutually held and stockholder-owned banks in Western Massachusetts in both residential and commercial lending.
Working at Florence Bank as a lender excites Pereira because she believes customers are better served with a mutual bank. “Decisions are made locally. The management team knows the market,” she said. “A mutual bank is also more invested in the community and its overall success. We give back to the community.”
Recently named an ambassador for the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, Pereira is also a member of the 2017 class for BusinessWest’s 40 under Forty, and she attended the Springfield Leadership Institute. Pereira has served on various local boards over the last several years and has also volunteered as an athletic coach in East Longmeadow, where her daughter is a student.
Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank, said of Pereira, “Candace has a solid foundation in working directly with customers and understanding their financial situations. We are pleased to welcome her to our team of commercial lenders.”
About Florence Bank
Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses. Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate.
