Abigail Schnell O’Connell to be Client Development Officer for St. John
The Merchants Commercial Bank is coming to St. John. They have filed an application to have a branch put in on the second floor of the Greenleaf Commons and will begin operations as soon as they receive approval

The bank officers have have recently appointed long time St. Johnian Abigail Schnell O’Connell, as a Client Development Officer for the island of St. John. Good work Abbie!

Sometime ago I needed to get a mortgage to purchase a property on St. Thomas. Even with excellent credit and a 50% down payment and personal guarantees, no bank would give me the loan simply because the property was in the name of a Limited Liability Company. Mind you this was in the era of sub prime loans when every Tom, Dick or harry could get a 100% loan with no credit check or documentation and here I was being turned down by bank after bank for as far as I, or anyone else, could see, no good reason.

I was singing the blues about my mortgage woes to my friend, Steve Simon, a real blues aficionado, even in it’s most abstract sense, and he directed me to Merchants Bank. They were reasonable, friendly and professional and I got the loan and bought the property. Thank you.

So it is my pleasure to post the following press release courtesy of Merchants Commercial Bank:

MERCHANTS COMMERCIAL BANK

4608 Tutu Park Mall

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands  00802-1735

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    FOR MORE INFORMATION

Friday, May 08, 2009                     Contact: Ro Khiani

NEWS RELEASE

MERCHANTS COMMERCIAL BANK

APPOINTS CLIENT DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

James Crites, President/CEO of Merchants Commercial Bank announces the appointment of Abigail Schnell O’Connell as the St. John Client Development Officer for the bank.  Mrs. O’Connell’s responsibility will be to foster good relations between existing clients and Merchants Commercial Bank as well as to present new banking solutions to both existing and prospective clients on St. John.

Mrs. O’Connell graduated from Antilles School in St. Thomas and attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale before excelling in Public Relations with legendary retailer Neiman Marcus.  After leaving Neiman Marcus, she began working in the highly competitive Fort Lauderdale real estate market, where she met quick success. This experience opened the door for her to return home to St. John and further her real estate career with Holiday Homes, where she has worked since 2002.

“I look forward to having the opportunity to expand Merchants Commercial Bank’s sophisticated level of banking service to the St. John community.”  Mrs. O’Connell joins Merchants Commercial Bank with eager intent to carry on the bank’s mission in continuing to provide the highest level of customer service while offering clients the most complete range of technologically advanced and convenient business products.

Persons interested in Merchants Commercial Bank’s range of products and services may contact Abigail Schnell O’Connell, St. John Client Development Officer, at (340) 998-1934 or via email at abigailoconnell@mcbvi.com .

About Merchants Commercial Bank

Merchants Commercial Bank is a Virgin Islands chartered, FDIC insured, commercial bank bringing state-of-the-art internet and traditional banking services to the Virgin Islands community. Based in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands but also serving St. John and St. Croix, Merchants Commercial Bank works with businesses and individuals to craft financial solutions that fit their unique circumstances.