The Delaware County Bank and Trust Co. announced this week that the U.S. Small Business Administration has granted the bank “preferred lender” status under the SBA’s Preferred Lender Program.
Under this program, the SBA delegates the final credit decision to selected lenders, thereby streamlining procedures necessary to provide financing to the small business community. Lenders are considered for preferred-lender status based on their record with the SBA, and must have demonstrated a proficiency in processing and servicing SBA-guaranteed loans.
The bank also announced that it has expanded its small business lending capabilities with the addition of a team specializing in SBA lending. Based in the bank’s Lewis Center headquarters, the SBA team will underwrite and originate loans under the SBA’s 7(a) and 504 loan programs to small businesses in central Ohio and throughout the nation.
The nine-person SBA team is led by John C. Tonjes and Dan T. Bywater.
Tonjes, who has been appointed senior vice president of the bank, is a lender and business development officer who has had 17-year career in small business and SBA lending. Tonjes was most recently executive vice president with Midwest Business Capital. During his 10-year career at Midwest, Tonjes and his team developed an SBA 7(a) loan program with annual originations exceeding $60 million.
Bywater, who has been appointed first vice president of the bank, and has more than 12 years of vice president-level experience underwriting and originating loans under the SBA’s 7(a) and 504 loan programs. Bywater was most recently senior commercial business development officer and underwriter for Midwest, where he worked for six years alongside Tonjes.
“John and Dan have a demonstrated track record of building a nationwide network of referral sources focusing on niche business sectors that have historically been among the best performing business sectors, from an asset quality perspective, tracked by the SBA,” said Ronald J. Seiffert, president and CEO of the bank. “Their industry contacts and business development skills, along with their experience in SBA underwriting and the secondary market for sales of SBA guaranteed loan tranches, provides the bank with an important strategic opportunity to leverage its strong capital position and further diversify and strengthen the bank’s earnings.”