Celtic Bank announced that Ben Smith has been hired as vice president of Business Development in the bank’s SBA and Commercial Lending Department. Smith will be based in Salt Lake City, UT and will report to Tom Green, Senior Vice President of SBA Lending at Celtic Bank. “We are excited to bring Ben on board as we continue to grow and expand our business,” said Green.

Smith joins Celtic Bank with more than 11 years of experience working in the real estate acquisition and commercial financing sectors. Smith began his professional career as a commercial loan underwriter at Zions Bank before being promoted to loan acquisition officer. Most recently, Smith served as vice president of Acquisitions for a Utah private equity firm where he focused on the acquisition of value added residential and commercial real estate on a national platform.

“Ben’s diverse background in both real estate acquisition and commercial financing is a tremendous asset to Celtic Bank,” said Craig Calafati, EVP of SBA Lending at Celtic Bank.