Barbara Bergman
About Barbara Bergman
Barbara Bergman serves as the Managing Director of the CRE Lending Group at Customers Bank, where she has worked since 2015. She has extensive experience in commercial real estate lending and regulatory compliance, having previously held positions at Edward Jones, Gulf International Bank, and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.
Work at Customers Bank
Barbara Bergman serves as the Managing Director of the CRE Lending Group at Customers Bank since 2015. In this role, she plays a critical part in overseeing the bank's commercial real estate lending activities. Her responsibilities include conducting risk assessments and providing guidance on credit policy. She collaborates closely with the CRE Lending Team to ensure adherence to underwriting guidelines and to address any potential exceptions. Bergman also holds independent approval authority and participates as a voting member on various loan committees that focus on Commercial Real Estate, Commercial & Industrial, and Warehouse Lending.
Previous Experience in Finance
Before her tenure at Customers Bank, Barbara Bergman accumulated extensive experience in the finance sector. She worked at Edward Jones as an Investment Advisor from 2002 to 2004 in the Greater Boston Area. Prior to that, she was an Account Officer at Gulf International Bank from 1991 to 1994 and served as an AVP, Credit Officer at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ from 1994 to 1997, both in the Greater New York City Area. Her roles involved significant responsibilities, including credit risk assessment and managing loan requests.
Education and Expertise
Barbara Bergman holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She also earned a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester. Her educational background provides her with a strong foundation in financial principles and market analysis, which she applies in her current role in commercial real estate lending.
Regulatory Compliance and Risk Assessment
In her position at Customers Bank, Barbara Bergman provides significant support for the bank's compliance with regulatory guidelines related to Commercial Real Estate concentration. She is responsible for credit risk assessment of loan requests that account for approximately 70% of the bank's total Commercial Real Estate portfolio. Additionally, she authors and presents a semi-annual Commercial Real Estate Risk Review to the Board of Directors, which includes detailed market and portfolio analysis.