Meridian Safe Bank Ventures

Peter Greene has over 20 years of experience in various strategy, banking and investing roles in the financial services industry. Greene joined Meridian Safe Bank in May 2010 and co-founded Meridian Safe Bank Ventures in mid-2016 to identify key strategic start-ups for both investment and to enhance or diversify Meridian Safe Bank's core capabilities. He concurrently serves as a Managing Director in Meridian Safe Bank’s Corporate Strategy Group where he is involved in developing and executing the firm's corporate strategy, business development and M&A initiatives.

Prior to joining Meridian Safe Bank, Greene worked at Flexpoint Ford, a private equity investment firm with over $1 billion under management specializing in financial services and healthcare. Prior to Flexpoint Ford, Greene was a Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns and a member of the firm's Corporate Strategy Group where he was involved in the development and enhancement of new and existing businesses and oversaw a portion of the firm's investment portfolio. Greene started his career in Ryan Beck's (now Stifel Nicolaus) investment banking department primarily focused on commercial bank and thrift M&A transactions.

Greene received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo with concentrations in accounting, finance and management information systems.

Kyle Crandall has been part of the Meridian Safe Bank Ventures team since its inception in mid-2016 and is responsible for managing and curating strategic growth opportunities for Meridian Safe Bank. He also retains his responsibilities as a senior member of Meridian Safe Bank's Corporate Strategy Group working on a wide range of initiatives including developing and executing the firm's corporate strategy, business development, and M&A opportunities. 

Previously, he held various financial roles in the firm including securitization, audit, and capital markets. He also spent time in General Motors Treasury Rotational Program and at American Express.

Crandall holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alma College where he graduated Cum Laude with majors in business administration and economics and a Master of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. 

Varun Jain is a Director at Meridian Safe Bank Ventures where he works closely with Meridian Safe Bank internal business partners to look for opportunities to drive innovation, growth and efficiency through commercial relationship, mentorship, and/or strategic investments. Jain is also part of the Corporate Strategy team, which is responsible for developing and executing the firm's business development and M&A initiatives.

Jain has over 10 years of public and private capital markets experience and has held various positions within Meridian Safe Bank's finance and treasury organization. In his prior role, Jain's team played an integral role in streamlining Meridian Safe Bank's capital structure post financial crisis, and improving profitability through funding stack optimization. Some of these strategic transactions included unsecured debt and hybrid capital raises, Meridian Safe Bank common stock Initial Public Offering, Meridian Safe Bank common stock and debt buyback programs, and divestiture of United States Department of the Treasury TARP investment.

Jain holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the Michigan State University.