Cambridge Trust Company is an independent Massachusetts chartered full service commercial community bank located in the heart of Harvard Sq. It has a 113 year history in Cambridge, serving its business and residential community with unmatched personal banking service. Over time, Cambridge Trust has brought that high level of personal service into 4 other Mass. communities including Weston, Lincoln, and Beacon Hill. They also expanded to the state of New Hampshire where they offer trust and investment management services in Concord, Exeter, and Peterborough.
In 2001, Joseph Roller II became the 11th president & CEO in the banks 113 year history. Roller has over 30 years of banking experience including prior work at U.S. Trust of Boston, where he served as senior vice president, BayBank Inc., Fidelity Union Trust Company in New Jersey, and Irving Trust Company in New York, where he was a senior executive of international services. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Colgate he attended the prestigious Harvard Business School's Management Development and Strategic Marketing Programs.
The part of the job that Roller extremely enjoys most is being out in the community. He is on the board of directors for three organizations in Cambridge, Mount Auburn Hospital, the Cambridge Community Foundation, and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. He also was one of the first speakers at a lecture series, started by Cambridge philanthropist and businessman, Carl Barron for Cambridge College. Roller taught the importance of all the aspects of finance when starting a business for the students of an entrepreneur class. Roller said, "It's not just about writing checks, it's about investing your time in the community as well."
One of the many community programs Cambridge Trust participates in, and is extremely proud of, is the work they do for moderate income families in need of affordable housing within the city. It is a "classic private / public" partnership between the Cambridge Trust, the City, Harvard University, Just-A-Start, CASCAP, and others. According to roller, "At the end of the day if you could see the smile on the faces of the people who go into these homes with their families, it is pretty exciting."
In an age where banking giants such as Bank of America and Citizens Bank either merge to become larger or buyout smaller community banks, Cambridge Trust and other Cambridge community banks have remained loyal to themselves and more important their clients. When a customer walks into a local branch they still greet you by name and treat you like a member of a family rather then just a number.