James C. Brown is senior executive vice president and chief commercial banking officer at The Washington Trust Co., where he leads the bank’s commercial banking teams and oversees client strategy across the region. He is responsible for all commercial banking activities, including commercial real estate lending, commercial and industrial lending, business banking, private clients group and cash management services.
Brown has more than 38 years of experience in financial services, including senior leadership roles at Berkshire Bank, overseeing all commercial and private banking activities across Rhode Island. Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and the Mid-Atlantic asset-based lending team, and Boston Private Bank, and earlier work at Shawmut Bank and State Street Bank in Boston. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Nichols College, where he has served as a trustee for the past decade, and an MBA from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.
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PBN: What drew you to Washington Trust, and what excites you most about leading its
commercial banking division in Rhode Island and the broader region?
BROWN: Washington Trust is a wonderful place. When you meet the people who work here, it’s easy to be impressed and fall in love with the company. Everyone is very collaborative and kind. We care about our clients and colleagues, and we want to do a good job for our investors and for the community. I’m excited to be a part of the team and look forward to the future.
PBN: What do you expect for growth in both the commercial and industrial lending market and the commercial real estate lending market in the next 12-24 months?
BROWN: The market for commercial banking in Rhode Island and across New England is very strong and tends to grow faster than the national average. Certainly, having excellent health care and education in the region drives a lot of that growth.
I would expect us to expand our commercial clientele at a rate well above the industry as a whole. We are big enough to serve the vast majority of the market and at the same time small enough to remain exceptionally close to our commercial clients and the people behind those businesses.
PBN: How do you plan to balance expanding commercial lending portfolios with maintaining strong risk management and client relationships?
BROWN: Managing risk is always job No. 1 for a banker. I enjoy the underwriting process and am a bit of a credit geek in that regard. Washington Trust uses prudent underwriting with solid credit quality metrics. Our conservative approach to credit, combined with our focus on building a well-structured portfolio that serves a wide range of clients, is our strategy for maintaining sound risk management practices in commercial banking.
PBN: What role do you see Washington Trust playing in supporting small and midsized local businesses?
BROWN: One of the things that has struck me the most about Washington Trust is how true it has stayed to its founding mission 225 years ago, which was to be a financial resource for local businesses and to support economic development in the region. In 1800, that focus was on helping the farming and fishing industry in Westerly; today, Washington Trust is supporting businesses of all types and sizes across Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Our approach goes beyond traditional banking – we build relationships and provide customized financial services such as tailored lending solutions and personalized guidance designed to meet the unique needs of local businesses and help them thrive in today’s competitive environment.
PBN: Looking back on your decades-long career in commercial banking, what lessons or strategies do you bring to this role that will help Washington Trust stand out in the region?
BROWN: The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the 40 years I’ve worked in commercial banking is to focus on the things that matter the most, and for me that’s colleagues, clients and community.
First and foremost, be a good colleague to employees at every level of the organization. Second, provide great service to clients, offer trusted advice and make sure they have access to key decision-makers at the bank. And third, recognize the value of communities. Focus on building relationships with people, work hard and remember to have fun because that matters too and makes it all worthwhile.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
