Page 20 - BusinessWest October 27, 2021

Banking & Finance
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Banks See Healthy Surge of Commercial Lending
Businesses didn’t stop borrowing in 2020, although much of last year’s lending activity had more to do with staying afloat with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans than expanding operations. These days, with the economy in a more stable — if not exactly robust — place, many businesses are looking to invest and grow (that is, if they can get enough people to come to work), at a time when banks are sitting on more liquidity than usual and are anxious to lend it out.
WBy Joseph Bednar
hen Country Bank announced it was opening a commercial-banking office in Springfield, Ben Leonard was intrigued by the opportunity, noting its similarities to the bank’s push into Worcester in recent
years.
“Country Bank has been around a long time, but historically,
the physical presence has been between Worcester and Spring- field,” noted Leonard, a senior vice president who leads the new Springfield office, located
downtown in Tower Lending
Square. Continued on page 22 “But we’ve always
Ben Leonard outside Tower Square, where Country Bank just opened an office to service growing commercial business in and around Springfield.
20 OCTOBER 27, 2021
BANKING & FINANCE
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