Bank of the West announced that Lee Merkle-Raymond has joined the Commercial Banking Group (CBG) as a commercial regional manager based in San Francisco. With more than 20 years of experience financing public and private companies, Merkle-Raymond will lead the bank’s growing focus on mid-cap technology companies and oversee teams based in San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay.

“As a local bank with the global resources of our parent BNP Paribas, we are focused on expanding our relationships with mid-cap technology firms and Lee is the ideal person to lead our growing team,” said Jean-Marc Torre, head of Bank of the West’s Commercial Banking Group.

“I’m thrilled that Lee has joined Bank of the West,” said Mark Glasky, executive vice president and head of Commercial Coverage for Bank of the West. “As a seasoned credit specialist with extensive capital markets and treasury knowledge, expertise in both business development and risk management, and a strong focus on the technology and energy sectors, Lee brings unmatched talent and diversity of experiences to us and to our clients.”

Matthew Harvey, North America Head of Technology at BNP Paribas, added, “With Lee’s leadership, we’re confident that we’re in an even stronger position to help usher our mid-cap technology clients to a new phase of growth, whether they operate locally, nationally, or internationally.”