Florence Bank Promotes Candace Pereira to Vice President, Commercial Lender

FLORENCE — Florence Bank promoted Candace Pereira 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, she will concentrate on commercial and industrial lending, as well as lending to women-owned businesses.

Pereira holds an associate degree in finance from Springfield Technical Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass 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 Mass., in both residential and commercial lending.

Working at Florence Bank as a lender excites Pereira because she believes customers are better served by 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, Pereira is also a member of the BusinessWest 40 Under Forty class of 2017, and she attended the Springfield Leadership Institute. She 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, noted that “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.”