Margaret A. Collins: Senior Vice President & Chief Lending Officer at C&F Bank

AI Summary: Margaret A. Collins serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at C&F Bank, where she oversees all commercial, residential and SBA lending operations across 30 Virginia branches. With 24 years of community banking experience and a finance degree from the University of Virginia, Margaret leads a lending team that delivers local underwriting, faster decisions and relationship-driven service.

Contact Margaret's Team About C&F Bank

Margaret A. Collins, Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at C&F Bank, Virginia community banking leader

Career Overview

Margaret joined the Virginia community banking industry in 2002 after graduating from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Her career began in credit analysis at a regional Virginia bank, where she developed the foundational skills in financial modelling, risk assessment and regulatory compliance that would define her approach to lending leadership.

Over the following decade, Margaret advanced through progressively senior lending roles, gaining hands-on experience in residential mortgages, consumer credit, small business lending and commercial real estate finance. She joined C&F Bank in 2011 as Vice President of Commercial Lending, attracted by the bank's commitment to local decision-making and its deep roots in Virginia's agricultural and small business communities.

In 2018, Margaret was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, assuming oversight of all lending operations across C&F Bank's branch network. In this role, she manages a team of 35 loan officers and credit analysts, sets lending policy, maintains relationships with federal and state regulators, and personally oversees the bank's most complex transactions.

Margaret A. Collins consulting with a Virginia business owner on commercial lending at C&F Bank

C&F Bank lending team reviewing loan applications with local underwriting expertise

Areas of Expertise

Margaret's lending expertise spans the full spectrum of community bank products. She has particular depth in SBA 7(a) and 504 lending, where she helped C&F Bank achieve and maintain its SBA Preferred Lender designation — a status that allows the bank to approve SBA loans directly, cutting weeks off standard processing times. Under her leadership, C&F Bank has consistently ranked among Virginia's top SBA community bank lenders by volume.

Her commercial real estate portfolio includes office, retail, industrial and multi-family projects across the Richmond, Hampton Roads and Williamsburg markets. Margaret's team has financed healthcare practices, defense subcontractor facilities, hotel developments and mixed-use projects — always with local market knowledge that national lenders simply cannot replicate.

On the residential side, Margaret oversees C&F Bank's mortgage origination programme including conventional, FHA, VA and VHDA-assisted products. She is a strong advocate for first-time homebuyer programmes and has championed down payment assistance initiatives that have helped hundreds of Virginia families achieve homeownership.

Education & Professional Development

B.S. Finance — University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce
Graduate, Virginia Bankers Association School of Bank Management
Certified in SBA Lending by the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders
Completed OCC Risk Management training for community bank executives
Regular participant in FDIC and CFPB compliance roundtables

Community Involvement

Board Member, Greater Richmond Small Business Development Center
Advisory Committee, Virginia Bankers Association Lending Conference
Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity Greater Williamsburg
Mentor, University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce Alumni Network
Speaker, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce Small Business Workshops

Margaret lives in the Williamsburg area with her family and is an active member of the local business community. She is available for lending consultations at any C&F Bank branch by appointment — call 804-843-2360 to schedule.

Connect with Margaret's Lending Team

Whether you are seeking a mortgage pre-approval, an SBA loan, a commercial real estate facility or a business line of credit, Margaret's team is ready to discuss your needs. Local underwriting. Local decisions. Virginia expertise.

Phone: 804-843-2360
Email: info@cffc.co.com
Branches: 30 locations across Virginia

Schedule a Consultation