Blue Hills Bank is beefing up its commercial lending efforts, announcing this week that it had hired two former First Niagara bankers to head up its new asset-based lending division.

Keith Broyles and Yvonne Kizner were formerly senior vice president and first vice president, respectively, at First Niagara Commercial Finance.

“The addition of an experienced ABL team to Blue Hills Bank is complementary to our existing commercial banking structure and market,” Thomas E. O’Leary, executive vice president of commercial banking, said in a statement. “It will allow us to provide products and services to a segment of the market which is attractive to us. Keith and Yvonne are experienced and accomplished ABL bankers who will bring us immediate credibility in this competitive marketplace.”

Broyles has more than 25 years of experience in asset-based lending, most recently leading an ABL team at First Niagara that specialized in loans between $3 million and $25 million. He has also worked at Sovereign/Santander, TD Bank, Siemens Financial Services and CIT Group.

Kizner worked with Broyles at First Niagara and worked as director of collateral control and compliance. She has specialized knowledge of liquidation values and asset valuation. Before that, she was president of HCP Asset Advisors LLC and launched the appraisal division for Hudson Capital Partners.