Santander Bank announced it is expanding its Commercial Banking presence in the Midwest region by naming Patrick Dunphy as its Managing Director and Midwest market head based in Chicago.

Dunphy brings more than 25 years of diverse experience in corporate and commercial banking to this new role. He and his team will be responsible for serving clients and prospects throughout the Midwest markets, including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri.

He joins Managing Director Brett Johnson, who established a Santander Commercial Banking office in Cleveland earlier this year.

Robert Rubino, Santander Bank’s co-president and head of Commercial Banking, said, “We continue to make significant investments to support our growing commercial business in the U.S. The appointments of Patrick and Brett complement our growth strategy as we strive to be a trusted advisor and life-cycle financial partner that consistently brings valuable ideas based on our international, industry, and corporate finance knowledge to more companies in the U.S. Pat and Brett are seasoned, effective and proven leaders who know these markets well and will help Santander Bank thrive and grow in the Midwest.”

This investment underscores Santander Bank’s ongoing commitment to adding resources in markets that align with its unique and distinct value proposition in the U.S., Europe and Latin America. In 2018, Santander Bank expanded its Commercial Banking presence in the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest United States.

Dunphy joins Santander from Bank of the West and previously worked at Citizens Bank where he led the mid-corporate Midwest team for more than 10 years. He began his banking career at First Chicago NBD, where he held positions in portfolio management, business development and relationship management. He brings extensive global banking experience gained from years working at the U.S. subsidiaries of ABN Amro, Royal Bank of Scotland and BNP Paribas, where he regularly assisted his clients and prospects in leveraging the respective global networks of each institution.

Johnson comes to Santander Bank after serving as managing director for Citizens Capital Markets where he was responsible for corporate finance transactions for both privately and publicly owned companies in the Midwest. Previously, he served as managing director at FirstMerit Bank, where he started the bank’s sponsor finance group, growing the business to over $600 million in commitments in its first three years.  Johnson also worked at Morgenthaler Private Equity and before that at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Johnson received his MBA from Case Western Reserve University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois.