The Best of Both Worlds: How Community Banks and Asset-Based Lenders Partner to Serve SMEs

By Michele Ocejo


Community banks play a vital role in enabling local businesses and communities to thrive. By either offering asset-based lending as part of their product off erings or partnering with a nonbank asset-based lender, community banks can off er the best of both worlds to small and mid-sized businesses. The Secured Finance Network interviewed several of its members who shared their experiences and perspectives.

Yvonne Kizner is senior vice president – asset-based lending with Cambridge Savings Bank. She provided some background on the institution: “Cambridge Savings Bank is a mutual bank. We have 17 branches located throughout the metro Boston area, and we are about $5 billion in asset size. My partner, Keith Broyles, and I started the asset-based lending group for Cambridge Savings Bank in April of 2019.” Kizner explained that prior to the launch of the ABL business, companies that were not meeting their operating cashflow needs would have been bypassed by the bank. “The asset-based lending group has allowed the bank to do more transactions and open up our geography a bit since we will take on a deal that’s in the New England area through New York and New Jersey, beyond where our middle-market team concentrates.”

Click here to read the full article.


About the Author

Michele Ocejo
Michele Ocejo is editor-in-chief of The Secured Lender and communications director for SFNet.