Bridge Capital Holdings whose subsidiary is Bridge Bank, a full-service professional business bank headquartered in Silicon Valley and with offices located nationwide, announced that Caroline Harkins, a seasoned business banking professional, has joined the bank to manage its regional expansion into Orange County in Southern California. She will be responsible for assembling and managing an expert banking team to extend the reach of Bridge Bank's Corporate Banking, Technology Banking and Capital Finance divisions, in addition to accelerating the growth of its International Banking and Treasury Management Services portfolios in the region. Currently, Bridge Bank provides SBA lending solutions in Orange County and Los Angeles County.
"I'm excited to lead Bridge Bank's growth strategy in Southern California," said Harkins. "Having worked in the banking industry in this region for the past 30 years, I can confidently say that Bridge Bank has a tremendous opportunity to deliver its unique brand of business banking to Southern California-based businesses across multiple industries," she added.
Most recently, Harkins held leadership roles at Beach Business Bank, where she was EVP and Orange County regional president, Imperial Bank, where she was regional vice president, Comerica Bank, and Irwin Union Bank, where she was market president. She has extensive experience in serving small-and-middle-market businesses at various stages of growth, and is skilled in a wide variety of banking products including commercial credit, asset-based lending, corporate finance and treasury management. She is a graduate of Colgate University.
"Caroline exhibits the key qualities that help define our brand, and that drives loyalty among our client base," said Peggy Bradshaw, executive vice president and chief banking officer at Bridge Bank. "She is entrepreneurial and personally dedicated to the success of her clients, and with her experience as a banking leader in Southern California, she is the perfect addition to our team," she added.
Bridge Bank has a national presence through its network of loan production offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, Dallas, Reston, Boston, and Costa Mesa, and is headquartered in San Jose. Bridge Bank recently announced its expansion into Southern California through the opening of its newest office in Orange County, where it will serve a range of clients across a variety of industries through its specialized banking services.