Ahead of North Jersey HQ debut, First Bank announces senior leader

First Bank will open its new North Jersey headquarters April 3. Ahead of the milestone, the Hamilton-based community bank is introducing the Fairfield location’s senior leader: First Senior Vice President and Market Executive Anthony DeSenzo.

A veteran of the Essex County business community, DeSenzo will lead a team of professionals at the Fairfield location to help increase First Bank’s market share and expand the brand in the region, the institution announced March 28.

Joining DeSenzo are: Vice President and Fairfield Branch Manager David Roskowsky and Vice President of Business Development Stephen Bohmert.

DeSenzo has been with First Bank since 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he served as regional director for the New York/New Jersey metro area at Provident Bank/ SB One Bank, which merged in 2020.

First Bank’s new location was announced in February, along with the debut of a branch in West Chester, Pa.

“At First Bank, we focus on our customers and make everything else revolve around them,” said First Bank President and CEO Patrick Ryan in a statement. “We’ve created a banking experience where our customers have access to decision-makers, a place where our team members have real authority to help. As a result, we listen carefully, ask smart questions and deliver solutions—not products. That’s the foundation for a true community bank.”

That ethos was evident during the pandemic, when First Bank helped to provide nearly 2,000 small businesses with Paycheck Protection Program relief totaling approximately $300 million.

According to the bank, the North Jersey business community can expect a range of personalized services at the 330 Passaic Ave., Suite 100, Fairfield location. Recently, the bank introduced resources for private equity groups and their portfolio companies to cover the full business life cycle, in addition to a new specialty financing group offering asset-based lending – helping entrepreneurs and business owners turn illiquid assets into more capital.

First Bank has 18 full-service branches throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the most recent information available, the bank had $2.73 billion in assets.