Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. the holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank announced the promotion of Luke J. Kaufman as Head of Commercial Lending, effective immediately.

He will report to Scott Lublin, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer and will be responsible for the overall operations of its Commercial Lending division.

Mr. Kaufman has more than 19 years of lending and banking experience across a range of major New York Metro financial institutions. Prior to joining MCB in 2015, he was a Senior Vice President at Astoria Bank. He managed the NYC Business Banking group which was responsible for producing $200 million in committed facilities, in excess of $100 million in deposit balances and maintained a blended portfolio of 70% C&I business and 30% Commercial Real Estate.

“Luke brings to Metropolitan Commercial Bank almost two decades of experience in banking and commercial lending. His broad experience, including five years with our Commercial Lending group, makes him the right choice to lead our Commercial Lending team,” said Mark DeFazio, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We are excited to promote Luke to head up Metropolitan Commercial Bank’s commercial lending team. We look forward to his leadership and keen insights,” said Scott Lublin, Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer.

“I am proud to be part of the organization and to support MCB’s continued success and strategic growth plan,” said Mr. Kaufman. “The Bank’s success is attributed to our internal partners and the efforts of our talented group that has a track record of delivering results in any market environment.”

Mr. Kaufman earned a bachelor’s degree in statistics with a focus on economics from The College of New Jersey. He is a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital committee member, supports the Dan Finn Foundation and actively involved in local charities and organizations.