Piper, senior vice president at Webster Bank gives her views and opinions on real estate

Responsibilities include: Loan origination and relationship management Real estate organizations / affiliations: NEWiRE treasurer and board member, REFA member. Professionally, where were you ten years ago and where are you now? I was a VP at Key Bank's Boston office. I was principally providing construction loans. Now I am an SVP and a senior lender in Webster Bank's Boston office providing a larger variety of products (construction, repositioning, interim and permanent debt) to a broader number of clients (our deal size is $5m to $25m on any one transaction). What single event professional or personal has most significantly impacted your career? The last real recession in 1989-1994 - I worked in the workout group at Shawmut Bank, and I learned a great deal about what can go wrong in a deal whether it be the market, the sponsor or documentation. Additionally, I worked with a great group of professionals that included real estate bankers but also people with development, property management and brokerage experience. It was a real lesson in the multi-dimensional approach to every real estate project. What was the best decision that you made in the last year? Taking a job at Webster Bank. It's the largest locally owned regional bank with a strong middle market reputation and a long and successful track record in the real estate industry. How do you stay ahead of the curve? Nothing beats talking to a variety of professionals in our field on a regular basis to get the most current information. Who has been the strongest influence on your career and why? I've been very fortunate to work for a number of really great bosses over the years who have taught me a lot about real estate lending, client interaction, and a balanced approach to work and a personal life - Joe Greenough, Susan Leff and Bill Wrang. What impact has social networking had on your success? It allows me to stay current and to stay connected to a broad variety of resources, from sources of potential transactions to sources of invaluable information. What advise would you give to a woman just starting a career in your field? You can never be too prepared. Be yourself; there's no need to be one of the guys to be a success. Name: Claudia Piper Title: SVP Company/firm: Webster Bank Years with company/firm: 1; Years in field: 20+; Years in real estate industry: 20+ Address: 100 Franklin Street, Boston MA 02110 Telephone: 617-717-6836 Email: cpiper@websterbank.com URL: www.websterbank.com