Chicago - Michelle Collins, 54, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending, from Managing Director, at ShoreBank, the nation’s first community development and environmental bank.

Ms. Collins is responsible for new loans to customers for the purchase and renovation of residential real estate properties, including single-family homes and multi-family buildings with up to four-units for the Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland markets.  Michelle joined the department in 1995 and was named Managing Director in 2005.  Under her leadership, the Mortgage Lending Department has grown successful by developing and strengthening relationships with customers and real estate professionals and incorporating energy-saving and green design into home improvement projects.

Michelle has led the efforts of one of the nation’s only banks that offers financial products and technical assistance, including free energy audits and an innovative mortgage rehab loan to assist and encourage homeowners, developers, and rehabbers with making energy-saving improvements and using sustainable products.  In addition to helping homeowners add comfort and reducing monthly utility expenses, she has designed and implemented a series of ongoing community financial education programs, such as the ShoreBank Knowledge Exchange, that promote sustainable homeownership opportunities. 

“Michelle’s knowledge and passion for helping consumers build successful, long-term  homeownership opportunities and appreciable wealth has made her a leader in the real estate industry,” said Joseph Hasten, ShoreBank President and CEO. 

In addition to her professional responsibilities at ShoreBank, Ms. Collins serves on the board of several civic and community organizations, including Loretto Hospital’s Board of Trustees; The Austin Chamber of Commerce, The “Starry Night over Austin” Summer Youth Employment Program (Uplift our Future); the 29th Ward Zoning Advisory Board and the 7th Congressional District Housing Task Force.  She is also the choir director and Sunday school teacher at the Rose of Sharon Church in West Humboldt Park.  

Michelle is a graduate of Elmhurst College and Loyola University Graduate School.  She lives in Oak Park, IL with her  husband Cedric and their youngest son Cedric Jr.  The Collinses have two adult children, Chevonne Collins a budding writer in Los Angeles and Candisse Collins, a recent graduate from Northwestern University School of Law.

About ShoreBank: Founded in 1973 in Chicago, IL, ShoreBank is America’s first and leading community development bank with more than $2 billion in assets.  Since its inception, ShoreBank has invested more than $3 billion to finance the purchase and renovation of more than 52,000 units of affordable housing and the creation of more than 11,000 new jobs for local residents.  It has branches on the South and West Sides of Chicago, the East Side of Detroit, and in the Cleveland community.  For more information, click: www.sbk.com.