American Riviera Bank has welcomed Lesley Lang-Lopez as its new vice president/Small Business Administration Regional Lending Manager.
Lang-Lopez will guide the bank’s business customers through the Small Business Administration (SBA) loan process. This process is made easier and faster with American Riviera Bank’s preferred lender status, which gives the bank the authority to make the final credit decision.
“I’m joining the American Riviera Bank team to help people grow their business,” Lang-Lopez said. ”I’m here to make sure the SBA system works well for our customers, from start to finish.”
Lang-Lopez, an SBA professional, comes to American Riviera Bank from a New York-based nationwide nonbank SBA lender, where she was vice president of small business finance in its Irvine office.
Previously, she was senior vice president at two California banks, in Costa Mesa and San Luis Obispo. Earlier in her career, Lang-Lopez worked for the SBA as a senior loan specialist and team leader and as an economic development specialist.
Among her professional accolades, Lang-Lopez was named the SBA Central California Women in Business Champion of the Year in 2005 and the National Association of Development Companies’ Lender of the Year in 2004.
She said she’s excited about her work and her future with American Riviera Bank. “As I get to know everyone here, I know I made a good choice,” she said, “and I’m thrilled about the prospect of learning more about the small-business owners on the Central Coast.”
Born and raised in Fresno, Lang-Lopez attended UCSB freshman year before returning to Fresno, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Fresno State University.
American Riviera Bank is a full-service community bank with branches at 1033 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; 525 San Ysidro Road, Montecito; 5880 Calle Real, Goleta; and 1601 Spring St., Paso Robles. Visit www.americanrivierabank.com.
— Jennifer Goddard for American Riviera Bank.