Rocco Perate

Rocco Perate is the Senior Vice President of SBA Lending at Meridian Bank, leading the establishment of the bank as an SBA lender in the PA TriState region with a goal to become a top SBA lender in the bank's footprint.

Before joining Meridian Bank, Mr. Perate was the founding Director of Beneficial Bank's Government Guaranteed Lending group, where he built a strong portfolio of over 200 SBA loans and $100M in loan volume, positioning Beneficial Bank as one of the top SBA lenders in its footprint.

During his career, Mr. Perate also served as an EVP at Square 1 Bank, launching and leading the bank's SBA and USDA lending initiatives nationwide, and as President & COO of Eagle National Bank's SBA Finance Group, helping the division become the number 1 SBA lender in the Philadelphia region.

As the founding Principal and President & CEO of Preferred Capital (PC), a nationally chartered non-depository lending institution, Mr. Perate focused on providing financing to small businesses through SBA loan programs, consistently ranking as one of the mid-Atlantic region's top producing SBA lenders.

With over 25 years of experience in the Philadelphia area and national lending communities, Mr. Perate has held senior positions with Heller Financial, American Business Credit, and The Money Store, funding over $1 billion in SBA loans, supporting thousands of small businesses, and preserving tens of thousands of jobs in the small business community.

Mr. Perate is recognized as an expert in SBA and USDA lending, with notable achievements in acquiring and turning around Business Credit Partners, an Asset-Based Lender based in Philadelphia, and successfully operating the ABL business under the PC family until its sale to a Philadelphia bank in 2008.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Poly Sci, Business from Alvernia University and has pursued education at the University of Pennsylvania.