Brian Finneran named CFO at Hanover Bancorp

Mineola-based Hanover Bancorp has hired longtime Long Island bank executive Brian Finneran, 60, as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer.

He started at Hanover on Monday.

Finneran was most recently EVP and CFO at Suffolk County National Bank, which was sold to Bridgeport, Connecticut-based People’s United Financial earlier this year. Finneran was at Suffolk County National Bank for five years.

Before joining Suffolk County National, Finneran had held the same title at State Bank of Long Island for 22 years. He left when that company was sold to Valley National Bancorp in 2011.

Hanover had assets of $479 million as of June 30, according to the bank.

“The bank will have $500 million in assets this year,” Finneran said. “If we want to get this to a $1 billion or $2 billion bank, we will have to tap the institutional equity markets. We will have to build a true investor service function and raise the profile of the organization.”

Finneran replaced Paul Hagan, who left the bank in May, said Michael Puorro, chairman, president and chief executive at Hanover.

“We really wanted someone like Brian, someone who knows the capital markets,” Puorro said. “We also wanted someone who has worked at smaller community banks and made them large. Brian has done that at Suffolk County National Bank and at State Bank.”

Hanover has branch locations in Garden City Park and Forest Hills, Queens. It is also opening a branch at its headquarters in Mineola next month.

“We will continue to look to add to the franchise, including in Nassau County and the boroughs,” Puorro said. “But we don’t have anything else locked up.”