NBT Bank names MEREDA board member as Maine regional president
Photo / Courtesy of NBT Bank
Kimberly Twitchell, NBT Bank's new Maine regional president.
In an effort to strengthen its Maine presence, New York-based NBT Bank has named a banker with local roots as its Maine regional president.
Kimberly Twitchell, a board member of the Maine Real Estate and Development Association, started her new role on Monday, taking over the position of John Watt in leading the commercial bank’s southern Maine expansion. Twitchell had only joined last November as the bank’s regional commercial banking manager.
Twitchell’s promotion comes after NBT entered the Maine market last year, seeking opportunities in commercial real estate and middle-market business lending. At the time, the bank, which is based in upstate New York, said it moved into the state because there was a gap in Maine's market for a mid-sized bank that focuses on commercial lending.
"NBT Bank has had a strong start in the greater Portland area," Twitchell said in a prepared statement. "I’m excited to be a part of the bank’s expansion efforts in Maine and to take on this expanded leadership role."
Watt, who opened NBT’s Portland office last fall, told Mainebiz that NBT decided to promote Twitchell not just for her 25 years of experience in the financial service industry, but also because it was important for the bank to have a Mainer at the helm. Twitchell, a Bowdoin College graduate, worked at TD Bank’s Portland office for nearly nine years, most recently as a senior vice president. She is also a board member of the Maine Building Materials Exchange and the Genesis Community Loan Fund, which is based in Brunswick and helps low- to moderate-income families.
"We want it to be as local as we can in Maine," Watt said of Twitchell’s promotion. "Kimberly is very qualified, especially in the commercial real estate market." He added that NBT has strived to build a strong team of banking professional with local roots in Maine.
In his new role, Watt said he will remain “vitally connected” to the Maine market, working with Twitchell on strategy the bank’s growth plans in Maine over the next three years. He described his new position as senior vice president of strategy in Maine.
“Given the relative strength of the economy, we’ve had opportunity to grow in excess of our first year expectations and prospects of growth appear to be good," Watt said.
Though Watt declined to discuss specific financials, he said the “real estate markets are vibrant and providing substantial opportunities … as well as middle-market commercial lending opportunities.” He said the bank has on closed on “several very large relationships” since January, adding that the companies involved are name brands in Maine.
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