Eric Feldstein named M&T Bank Western New York regional president

Current regional president Shelley Drake set to retire in March

Eric Feldstein has been named M&T Bank regional president of Western New York – the company’s headquarter market and where it was founded 165 years ago – in addition to his role as head of business banking, beginning in March. Feldstein will transition the role from Shelley Drake, who is retiring after a 50-year career with the company.

“Eric is one of the most experienced bankers we have at M&T and is a leader in every sense of the word,” said Mike Keegan, M&T Bank executive vice president and head of community markets. “Our unique community model empowers local leaders to combine their banking expertise with a deep understanding of their communities in order to deliver a differentiated customer experience and uplift our communities. Eric’s passion for helping local businesses and customers was never more evident than during his leadership of the bank’s participation in the Paycheck Protection Program, which changed countless lives for the better. We’re confident he’ll bring the same level of leadership and dedication to this new role.”

A press release noted, “Under its local engagement model, M&T separates the geographic areas it serves into community regions led by regional presidents. Because they know their communities best, these teams work to create differentiated strategies to serve their markets, combining the capabilities of a large institution with the care and empathy of a neighborhood bank. They also make decisions locally about community activities, grants and lending.”

The Western New York region is the company’s largest community market, with close to 8,000 employees and 66 branches across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties. In 2020, M&T contributed close to $10 million to more than 250 nonprofit organizations across the region.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as regional president,” Feldstein said. “As a community-focused bank, it’s our job to ensure our local economies are vibrant and growing. Buffalo isn’t just our headquarters; it’s where we were founded in 1856 to serve the needs of the local manufacturers and traders who put Buffalo on the map. Our success is interwoven with the success of the businesses and local individuals that also call this great city home, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with more of them and continue the company’s longstanding focus on Buffalo’s growth, resiliency and resurgence.”

Feldstein has held various positions in commercial and business banking throughout his 19 years with M&T. Most notably, he recently led an effort to help businesses secure the funds they needed during the pandemic, which included providing a total of $9.9 billion in funding to more than 58,000 businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Feldstein has long been an active member of both the M&T and WNY communities. He co-founded the bank’s first Hispanic Employee Resource Group and is on the boards of trustees of the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo.

Feldstein currently resides in Clarence.