Joseph Fingerman Named President of CRE Lending at Peapack Private Bank & Trust

When Commercial Observer first reported last week that Joseph Fingerman was returning to banking, we couldn’t quite put our, ahem, finger on where he was headed. 

Now we know. 

Peapack Private Bank & Trust has hired the industry vet as its new president of commercial real estate lending, CO can first report. In his new role, Fingerman will be responsible for leading and growing Peapack’s commercial real estate lending business. 

“I am thrilled to join Peapack Private as they continue their expansion into the New York market and continue their growth in New Jersey,” Fingerman said in prepared remarks. “I’ve worked with President and CEO Doug Kennedy in the past and have followed the bank’s story for years. I am also thrilled to be reunited with so many former colleagues who have joined Peapack Private over the past few years. We expect to do what we do best: Serve the real estate industry with exceptional depository and lending solutions.”

Fingerman departed his position at A&E Real Estate Finance around Feb. 25, after helping build the boutique credit platform and lead it through its first year, amassing $250 million in originations over his tenure. 

The return to the banking world is an apt choice for Fingerman, who spent more than 15 years with Signature Bank, leading the bank’s commercial real estate lending activities through its failure until May 2023. Prior to that, he held positions at North Fork Bank and Community Bank of New York. 

Fingerman oversaw Signature Bank’s loan portfolio from coast to coast. A prolific lending force in CRE, Fingerman and his team closed several notable transactions in and around New York City over the years during his time at Signature. The regional bank, a regular honoree on CO’s Power Finance list, executed 632 loans and $4 billion of new transactions in 2021 alone.

Peapack is owned by New Jersey holding company Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation. Today, Peapack has $7 billion of assets under management. 

Cathy Cunningham can be reached at ccunningham@commercialobserver.com