Eastern Bank

Karl-Henry Francois joined Eastern Bank in June as senior vice president and commercial banking relationship manager.

On July 15, Eastern Bankshares, Inc., the stock holding company for Eastern Bank, announced its merger with Cambridge Bancorp, the parent company of Cambridge Trust.

Times were tough for people of color who owned businesses in Boston in 2008. The great recession had kicked off, putting stress on businesses of all sizes. Entrepreneurs faced difficult choices, from whom to lay off to whether to keep the doors open.