Banking & Finance

Employees at Glickman Kovago & Jacobs, Fidelity Bank, and Walker Development & Construction Management are on the move.

Cautious optimism. These two words are perhaps the most succinct way to summarize how some of the region’s economists and business figures feel about the state of the Central Massachusetts economy.

Compared to WBJ’s year-end Economic Forecast survey published in December, Central Massachusetts business leaders aren’t quite as optimistic as they were six months ago.

MassHousing and the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp have teamed up to launch what they say is the largest publicly led financing program of its kind in the country.

The parent companies of Cornerstone Bank of Worcester and PeoplesBank, headquartered in Holyoke, will merge to create a $6-billion organization with 29 branches across Central and Western Massachusetts.

Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester will now be able to upgrade to industry-standard lab equipment for its nursing assistant (CNA) certificate program and surgical technology associate degree program, as the institution has received $171,016 through the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program.

Country Bank has opened a location on Grafton Street, marking the fourth banking center in Worcester for the Ware-based financial firm. 

Littleton-based Workers Credit Union has named Jay Champion as its next CEO and president.

“It has been a great honor to spend the second half of my career at Webster Five,” Doyle said in the press release. “This is not a job that can be done alone, and I am lucky to have worked alongside some of the most dedicated, innovative, and passionate professionals in the industry."

Garand replaces Ed Shea, who is retiring after 39 years with BofA, having spent 18 of those years as Worcester president.