A commercial lender at Bristol County Savings Bank was recently been named “Banker of the Year” by the South Eastern Economic Development (SEED) Corp.

Tim Chaves, assistant vice president of commercial lending, was selected for the award by SEED lenders based on the volume of loans he made in participation with SEED and for exemplifying the spirit of small business assistance. The SEED lenders reviewed all the loans made last year in participation with banks and selected Chaves from a pool of 21 candidates.

Based at the bank’s Pawtucket branch at 215 Armistice Blvd., Chaves is responsible for developing new business, cross-selling the bank’s other products and services and assisting in the management of BCSB’s commercial loan portfolio. He is a member of The Risk Management Association New England Chapter’s Young Professionals Group and a graduate of The Risk Management Association’s Loan Officer Resident Seminar.

“Tim is always enthusiastic about working with new and existing clients to find the best financing package to meet their needs,” Len Sullivan, first executive vice president and senior loan officer at BCSB, said in a statement. “This often requires participating with the Small Business Administration through the SEED Corporation. Tim was thrilled to not only be recognized by SEED, but to also be able to provide financing to many small businesses though SEED’s innovative loan products.”

As a regional nonprofit economic development corporation certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration, SEED focuses on job creation by financing all types of small businesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. SEED makes an average of 120 loans and provides technical assistance to over 1,500 existing and prospective entrepreneurs annually.