First Niagara Financial Group announced the appointment of Paul Cronin as SVP, senior managing director, Capital Markets.

Cronin reports to Joseph Saffire, EVP, Commercial Financial Services, and is responsible for leading First Niagara’s Capital Markets Group, with a focus on loan syndications and private placements. He will also be responsible for the company’s international trade and foreign exchange services and will oversee development of new capital markets products and services.

Cronin has more than 25 years of experience in banking, capital markets and accounting, and is familiar with many of the markets that First Niagara serves. He joins First Niagara from HSBC Bank USA, where he most recently served as regional head of corporate banking for Northeast, including New York City. Prior to that, he was regional head of corporate banking for the Midwest and Upstate New York, including Buffalo, N.Y. Prior to HSBC, he held various senior positions at RBS Citizens, LaSalle Bank, and ABN AMRO Bank.

He will operate from the company’s Norwalk and Philadelphia offices.