Citizens Bank has announced the appointment of Christine Roberts as Head of Student Lending. A 27-year veteran of the finance services industry, Roberts will oversee Citizens Student Lending, which helps students pay for college by offering the most borrowing options of any lender, including refinancing of both private and federal student loans.
“The long-term cost of college continues to be a major challenge for students, and we are pleased to have a leader with Christine’s experience managing this important part of our business,” said Brendan Coughlin, president of Student Lending for Citizens Bank. “Student lending is a strategic priority for Citizens and Christine’s experience will be instrumental in driving its continued growth.”
Roberts has held several leadership roles at the company, in areas including sales, branch planning and operations and product management. . Previously, Roberts served as the vice president of Marketing at Northeast Bank and held several marketing and product management positions with Fidelity Investments and Fleet Bank. Roberts earned her BS from Bentley University and her MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.
Citizens provides several options for consumers looking to pay for school including the Student Loan for Parents, an alternative to federal loans designed for parents looking to help their children pay for college. With no origination fee, the Student Loan for Parents will save families an estimated average of $637 in annual fees alone and also guarantees approved borrowers receive a lower interest rate than the federal William D. Ford Direct PLUS rate. The Citizens Bank Education Refinance LoanTM enables borrowers to refinance federal and private student loans. Since launching the Citizens Bank Education Refinance Loan, the average customer savings is $137 a month, meaning customers are saving thousands of dollars in interest payments over the life of their loans.