Metropolitan Commercial Bank is mourning the death of Robert C. Patent, a founding director who helped guide the bank from its establishment in 1999. Patent served on the board until his passing and held key leadership roles, including chairman of the bank’s Loan Committee.
The announcement is a tribute to Patent’s service and career, rather than a business or financial update. The bank did not announce a successor or other board changes.
Key details
- Patent served on Metropolitan Commercial Bank’s board for more than 25 years, from the bank’s inception through his passing.
- He brought experience in real estate investment, finance and banking, and chaired the bank’s Loan Committee.
- Outside the bank, Patent was president of Colby Capital Corporation from 1991 to 2025, a founder and vice chairman of Cityscape Corporation, and a director of New York Federal Savings Bank.
- He also served as president of the Young Men’s Division of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
- Bank founder, President and CEO Mark R. DeFazio described Patent’s judgment, commitment and friendship as invaluable to the institution and its leadership.
What changes
Patent’s departure means the bank has lost a long-serving director with experience in real estate and lending oversight. No information was provided about filling his board seat or changing the Loan Committee’s leadership.