You won’t find Alé Frederico behind a desk, studying spreadsheets. Instead, the Senior Vice President of Government Banking for TD Bank prefers to be out in the professional community, attending meetings, serving on the board of the county’s Industrial Development Agency and also as a representative on Governor Cuomo’s Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council, and talking with business owners to find out what they need.
“We want to be thoroughly involved in and support the needs of the business community,” Frederico says. “Everyone is dedicated to making sure we have a robust business community.”
Of course, for businesses to get started or grow, they need capital.
“It’s important to understand what the issues are for a business with regard to capitalizing or looking for modes of finance, and understand the options out there,” Frederico says. “Our message has been that TD Bank is here to lend. Even throughout the economic downturn, we have continued to be a lender. We’re here to help you grow.”
TD Bank offers dedicated small business lending officers, and it works with the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a preferred lender, participating in both the SBA Express Program, which makes loans of up to $350,000, and the SBA 7A Program, which loans up to $5 million. “We also have a commercial lending side with a lot of expertise,” Frederico says, adding that bank officials serve on community and nonprofit organizations that operate micro-lender funds, offering their knowledge.
TD Bank participates in financial literacy programs in local schools, as well as summer reading programs, and through its charitable foundation donates reading materials to schools.
Frederico, who co-chairs the Metro New York Diversity Committee, wants both women and minorities to feel comfortable working with the bank. “We are known as America’s most convenient bank – providing legendary customer service, whether it’s a customer or a business. That’s deeply ingrained; it’s a culture. We have really committed investments and products to our small business franchise. Small business owners receive the products to help them grow their business.”
Frederico notes that the community of Westchester is equally supportive. “We have quite a number of very successful women-owned businesses in the community and have organizations that work with women,” she says. “What’s great about Westchester is that we have access to organizations and support. We’re in the community actively supporting our businesses. It’s important that there are the organizations, the resources and the tools to help support them in that endeavor. There are advocates for them within Westchester County to see their businesses grow and thrive.”
