LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – Southern Bancorp Community Partners (SBCP), a 501(c)(3) loan fund and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), today announced the hiring of Ralph Brown as its new Chief Lending Officer. SBCP is the nonprofit arm of Southern Bancorp, Inc., one of the nation’s oldest and largest CDFIs.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ralph Brown as SBCP’s new Chief Lending Officer,” said SBCP President Anthony Young. “Ralph has experience in community development lending, and he has a passion for creating avenues of financial inclusion for underserved communities. With his expertise and commitment to mission-based lending, we feel that this addition will have a positive impact on both Southern and our communities.”
As a loan fund and nonprofit of Southern Bancorp, SBCP offers flexibility to the institution’s mission of being “Wealth Builders for Everyone,” providing access to capital for people and communities that are often overlooked, underserved, or that traditional financial institutions are simply unable to help. SBCP also provides everyone – whether they are a customer or not – with access to financial education, credit coaching, and HUD-certified housing counseling services, and operates with an active public policy department that pushes for institutional change at the state, federal, and regulatory levels.
Brown comes to SBCP with nearly two decades of experience in the industry, most recently at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as its Business Banking Relationship Manager for the Mississippi Region. Prior to that, he served as Regional Director of Commercial Lending and Commercial Business Development at Liberty Bank & Trust, as well as Vice President of Small Business Lending for Hope Enterprise Corporation. This year, Brown was selected by the Mississippi Business Journal to its 2022 Top 40 Under 40 class for the impacts he has made thus far in his career.
His service to others extends beyond business hours, as Brown also helms a professional business development and resume writing company, and is also the Co-Founder and Co-Pastor of Towdah Praise Worship Center in Jackson, Miss.
As Chief Loan Officer, Brown will be based out of Madison, Miss., but his work will encompass all of Southern’s markets throughout Arkansas and Mississippi.
A Flora, Miss. native, Brown studied finance and economics at Mississippi State University, and later earned his MBA at Belhaven University. He and his wife, Keesha, have two sons, Jaderius and Ralph III (RJ).
About Southern Bancorp
Founded in 1986 by some of the nation’s leading political, business, and philanthropic leaders with an initial investment of $10 million, Southern Bancorp, Inc., along with its development partners – Southern Bancorp Bank, Southern Bancorp Community Partners, and Premier Bank of Arkansas – has grown into a $2.5 billion asset organization with 54 locations serving 65,000 customers across two states. Southern Bancorp has a unique array of financial products and services designed to help individuals at all stages of life’s financial journey – from teaching kids how to save to helping entrepreneurs and families realize the American Dream. Southern Bancorp is a certified Community Development Financial Institution, certified B-Corp, and proud member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values. Learn more at www.BankSouthern.com and www.SouthernPartners.org.