Eastern Bank made a key leadership update within its commercial lending team. Yongmei Chen, senior vice president, has been promoted to commercial group director of community development lending. She succeeds Pamela Feingold, who served in the role until her passing on March 16, 2026.
Chen is a long-tenured Eastern commercial lending leader with over 30 years of banking experience, and has held numerous leadership positions since joining Eastern in 2007. She worked with Feingold for the past 15 years, serving as a senior vice president and team leader of Eastern’s community development lending group when the portfolio grew from under $600 million to over $2 billion.
Chen specializes in lending to nonprofit organizations, particularly for affordable housing and economic revitalization projects. Active in the community, she serves on the executive committee of Asian Community Development Corporation; as finance and audit committee chair of the Preservation of Affordable Housing; as board treasurer of English for New Bostonians; and as a member of the board of directors of Massachusetts Housing and Investment, and Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association’s (CHAPA) Policy Leadership Council. She is a graduate of the Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“We are fortunate to benefit from Yongmei’s deep experience, significant relationships and extensive knowledge in both community development lending and the nonprofit sector to carry forward Pam’s incredible legacy,” Greg Buscone, executive vice president, chief commercial banking officer of Eastern Bank, said. “In addition to her leadership on different community boards, Yongmei for many years served as a co-chair of Eastern’s Asian American Professional Employee Collective. We are confident she will provide steady leadership of the critical and results-driven work of our community development lending team in the communities we serve.”
Chen said, “Thanks to the dedication of Pam and many others, Eastern’s community development lending group is very well-positioned to continue its leading work in doing what’s right and smart for our business and our communities. I am honored and humbled to carry Pam’s legacy forward.”
