Mountainone Banks Expand Senior Lending Team

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Jill Allen has been named Senior Vice President of Retail Lending, Ryan Leap has been appointed Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending and Mike DiCenzo has been named Vice President of Commercial Lending for Hoosac Bank and Williamstown Savings Bank, according to an announcement by John Law, President & Chief Executive Officer of Williamstown Savings Bank and Don Keagan, President & Chief Executive Officer of Hoosac Bank. MountainOne Financial Partners includes Hoosac Bank; Williamstown Savings Bank; South Coastal Bank; Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins; and True North.

According to Law, “We are excited to bring such a strong team of lenders on board at MountainOne. They have impressive records of results, and we know they’ll really energize our lending efforts.”

According to Keagan, “We’re looking forward to building continued momentum in the personal mortgage and loan realm, as well as in the business lending arena, in Berkshire County and beyond.”

JILL ALLEN

As Senior Vice President of Retail Lending, Allen will be responsible for customer acquisition, relationship enhancement, loan portfolio growth and credit quality, as well as development of retail lending personnel for both Hoosac Bank and Williamstown Savings Bank. The lending territory includes northern Berkshire County, southern Vermont, and contiguous markets.

With 35 years of banking experience, Allen served previously as Vice President, District Lending Manager, for Citizens Bank in Albany, where she managed a team of 14 mortgage professionals, primarily in eastern and central New York. She has also worked for Trustco Bank and Chemical Bank, where she has managed branches as well as departments responsible for mortgages, installment loans, student loans, credit cards, home equity loans, operations processes and collections. Her positions have also included responsibility for sales programs, compliance, employee training, and budget management.

Allen lives in Buskirk, New York, with her husband, Mike.

RYAN LEAP

As Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending, Leap will be responsible for leading his team of lenders in Commercial loan portfolio growth and will ensure continued portfolio credit quality.

Prior to joining MountainOne, Leap served as Vice President of Commercial Lending for The Bank of Western Massachusetts in Northampton, and has also held commercial lending positions at LaSalle Bank in Pittsburgh, PA and at Banknorth in Pittsfield.

Leap attended the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, majoring in Finance. In the community, he has participated on United Way allocations panels and previously served as Vice Chair of the Franklin Hampshire Regional Employment Board. He is also a graduate of the Berkshire Leadership Program. Leap lives in South Hadley.

MIKE DICENZO

As Vice President of Commercial Lending, DiCenzo will be responsible for loan portfolio growth and credit quality, with a special focus on lending through the Small Business Administration (SBA).

With over 32 years of banking experience, DiCenzo served previously as a Commercial Lender at Greylock Federal Credit Union, where he specialized in SBA lending. Prior to that, he held commercial lending positions at Legacy Banks, Berkshire Bank & Trust, and First Agricultural Bank.

DiCenzo holds a Bachelor of Science degree from MCLA and an Associate of Arts Degree from BCC. He has completed the Small Business Administration LowDoc Loan Specialist Training and is also a member of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL).

In the community, DiCenzo, is Treasurer of UNICO of Pittsfield, where he has also held positions as District Governor and President. He is a board member of the Jimmy Fund Council of Pittsfield and serves as a solicitor for Berkshire United Way. He is also past President of the Berkshire County chapter of March of Dimes and former board member of the Northern Berkshire United Way. DiCenzo lives in Pittsfield with his wife, Christine.

MountainOne Financial Partners, headquartered in North Adams, has combined assets of $860 million and approximately 200 employees. Hoosac Bank, Williamstown Savings Bank, and South Coastal Bank provide a broad range of banking services for personal and business customers. Hoosac Bank, established in 1848, has offices in North Adams and Williamstown; Williamstown Savings Bank, founded in 1892, has an office in Williamstown; and, South Coastal Bank, founded in 1868, has offices in Rockland, Braintree, Scituate, and Quincy.

Coakley, Pierpan, Dolan & Collins Insurance Agency, founded in 1927 and one of the largest property and casualty insurance agencies in Western Massachusetts, serves personal and business customers through offices in North Adams, Williamstown, and Adams. True North Financial Services, established in 1997, is a registered broker dealer, providing investment, life insurance, retirement planning, and employee benefit services to personal and business customers through offices in North Adams, Williamstown, and Pittsfield.
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Companion Corner Grey Boy at No Paws Left Behind

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — There's a cat No Paws Left Behind still waiting for his forever home.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home. He was previously highlighted but he now has new information.

Grey Boy is 10 years old and is a gray and white domestic shorthair and was previously highlighted on Companion Corner.

The shelter's Executive Director Noelle Howland introduced us to him and his long journey to be ready for adoption.

"He's been here a couple months. He was a transfer from a rescue in Bennington. They were out of space, so we had taken him in with a few other cats. So he's been here a couple months. He came in with what we believed was a respiratory infection," she said. "So it took us a little bit to get him ready, and then he also needed a dental. So he has nice, clean teeth. He had some teeth removed, and then he has to go back in and have one more dental. So he'll be all ready to go."

It was previously thought that he has feline herpes but he was recently diagnosed with a palette fracture because of how bad his dental disease was, which is what is causing his sneezing. He can now go home with cats, a cat-savvy dog and children.

"He has had two dentals since being with us. Due to the palate fracture he will be sneezy for the rest of his life, not contagious sneezing, but that doesn’t stop him from living a perfectly happy life. He should be on wet food with chunks due to this and since he has had many teeth removed," Howland said.

Grey Boy loves to play with toys and enjoy treats. He would also love to have a window to lounge or bird-watch in.

"He is not afraid of anything. He's very curious, so I'm sure he'd love if you have windows for him to look out of. He still plays, even though he's 10 it does not stop him. So any home would be a good fit for him."

Now that he is ready to be adopted, he is excited. When you walk into the room with him he will rub up against your leg introducing himself and asking to be pet.

"Usually, I would say, when you're walking, he'll bonk into you so he might catch you off guard a little bit. He constantly is rubbing against you," Howland said. "He really, I would say he's lazy when you want him to be, and he's active when you want him to be. He'll play with toys. He's usually lounging away. And then when he comes out he'll play. He loves it. So, very friendly, easy going cat."

He is now perfectly healthy with his dentals all done and veterinary care up to date and is ready to find his forever family.

"I would say the friendliest, easiest cat you could have. He's just, he's just gonna be a little sneezy sometimes, but that doesn't stop him from doing anything," she said.

Grey Boy's adoption fee is sponsored by Rooted in Balance Counseling LLC.

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