Victoria Okafor-Martinez: VP Commercial Banking at Exchange Bank
Vice President of Commercial Banking at Exchange Bank, based at the main office in Santa Rosa, California. Sixteen years of California community banking experience across three institutions, with a current focus on Wine Country hospitality lending, SBA 7(a) and 504 packaging, and commercial real estate financing across Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties.
MBA Finance from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business (2010). Certified Commercial Lender (Risk Management Association). BA Economics from Pomona College (2006). At Exchange Bank since 2015.
Contact the Team About Exchange Bank
Professional Biography
Sixteen years in California community banking across three institutions.
Victoria Okafor-Martinez joined Exchange Bank in 2015 as a Senior Commercial Relationship Manager and was promoted to Vice President of Commercial Banking in 2019. She leads commercial credit relationships for Wine Country hospitality, wine industry, agriculture and professional-services clients across Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties — coordinating underwriting, SBA packaging, treasury services and deposit relationships for operators with revenues from roughly $2 million to $150 million.
Before Exchange Bank, Victoria spent five years at Bank of Marin (2010–2015) as a Senior Credit Analyst, underwriting commercial credits across Marin and southern Sonoma counties, and four years at Umpqua Bank (2006–2010) as a Commercial Loan Officer covering the North Bay corridor from Santa Rosa to San Rafael. Her three-institution trajectory spans the full spectrum of California community banking — from generalist credit underwriting through relationship management to team leadership on specialty segments.
She is based in Santa Rosa and serves on the commercial credit committee, the SBA lending committee and the hospitality segment task force. She mentors junior commercial bankers through the institution's internal rotational programme and occasionally teaches a session at the Risk Management Association's Northern California chapter.
Areas of Expertise
Four commercial banking specialisations.
Small Business Lending
Term loans, lines of credit and equipment financing for Wine Country operators in the $500K to $10M revenue band. Cash-flow structuring tuned for seasonal revenue curves typical of hospitality, agriculture and tasting-room businesses.
SBA 7(a) and 504 Packaging
As a Preferred SBA Lender, the institution decisions SBA credit in-house. Victoria leads packaging on complex SBA files — owner-occupied commercial real estate, hospitality acquisition, equipment, partner buy-outs and start-up loans backed by SBA 7(a) or 504 structures.
Commercial Real Estate
Mixed-use, multi-tenant, hospitality and owner-occupied CRE across Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties. Structures span fixed and variable terms, interest-only periods, construction-to-permanent and SBA 504-backed owner-occupied deals.
Wine Country Hospitality Banking
Tasting rooms, boutique hotels, inns, event venues and restaurant operators across Healdsburg, Sonoma, Napa, Petaluma and Calistoga. Seasonal lines of credit, M&A financing, renovation and equipment loans tuned for the hospitality revenue cycle.
Career Timeline
Three institutions, one California community-banking trajectory.
| Role | Institution | Years | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| VP Commercial Banking | Exchange Bank | 2019–present | Wine Country hospitality, SBA, CRE |
| Senior Commercial Relationship Manager | Exchange Bank | 2015–2019 | Commercial relationships across Sonoma County |
| Senior Credit Analyst | Bank of Marin | 2010–2015 | Commercial underwriting, Marin and South Sonoma |
| Commercial Loan Officer | Umpqua Bank | 2006–2010 | Small-business lending, North Bay corridor |
Published Insights
Industry pieces and internal research.
- "Seasonal Credit Structures for Wine Country Hospitality" — RMA Journal, 2024
- "SBA 504 in Owner-Occupied Hospitality: Case Studies from Sonoma County" — California Bankers Association white paper, 2024
- "Community-Bank Hospitality Lending After 2020" — Sonoma County Economic Review, 2023
- "Preferred-Lender Decisioning: Where In-House Speed Pays Off" — Western Banker Magazine, 2023
- "Underwriting Wine Country Inns: A Cash-Flow Framework" — internal Exchange Bank commercial-banking bulletin, 2022
Speaking Engagements
Recent industry conference sessions.
- ICBA LIVE 2024 — Panel: Community-Bank SBA Decisioning in a Tight-Margin Year
- California Bankers Association Convention 2024 — Session: Hospitality Credit After the Cycle
- Sonoma County Economic Forum 2024 — Keynote: Local Capital for Local Operators
Per Federal Reserve community-banking research, community institutions originate a disproportionate share of small-business and hospitality credit relative to asset size — consistent with the themes of these sessions.
Related Services
Commercial banking products and reference pages.
Commercial Credit
Term loans, lines of credit and equipment financing.
SBA Preferred Lending
SBA 7(a) and 504 in-house decisioning.
Commercial Real Estate
Mixed-use, multi-tenant and owner-occupied CRE.
Business Checking
Tiered operating accounts for Main Street.
Treasury Services
ACH, Positive Pay, wire services.
Heritage
130 years of community banking.
Banker Credentials
- Name: Victoria Okafor-Martinez
- Title: VP Commercial Banking, Exchange Bank
- Based: Santa Rosa, California
- Experience: 16 years California community banking
- Education: MBA Finance UC Berkeley Haas (2010); BA Economics Pomona College (2006)
- Certification: Certified Commercial Lender (Risk Management Association)
- Specialties: Wine Country hospitality, SBA 7(a)/504, commercial real estate