Fitzgerald joins Eastern Bank as chief financial officer

Eastern Bank has appointed James Fitzgerald as chief financial officer. Fitzgerald, a former CFO at Citizens Bank, brings nearly 30 years of experience in the financial services industry to Eastern Bank. He will report directly to Richard Holbrook, chairman and CEO of Eastern Bank. "Jim is a talented banker with extensive experience in treasury, accounting and financial management," said Holbrook. "He is a proven strategic thinker and welcome addition to our senior management team." In 2009, Fitzgerald co-founded and was chief financial officer for NBH Holdings Corp., the bank holding company for Bank Midwest NA of Kansas City. Prior to that, Fitzgerald served as an executive vice president and chief financial officer at Citizens Financial Group for eight years. He began his career as a financial leader in mergers and acquisitions at First Fidelity Bancorp, Citizens Financial Group and Washington Mutual. Fitzgerald earned his bachelor's degree in finance at Lehigh University and his MBA at Fordham University. Fitzgerald, a father of three, lives in Boston with his wife. Founded in 1818, Eastern Bank is one of the largest independent and mutually owned banks in New England, with $7.6 billion in assets and more than 90 branches serving communities from the Merrimack Valley to Cape Cod. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers' needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Eastern Bank includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance. For more information, visit www.easternbank.com.