William Morrissey, a longtime Boston-area banker and former president of the Central Cooperative Bank, has died. He was 91 and died on Sept. 26 after a lengthy illness, according to an obituary published in the Boston Globe.

Morrissey worked in residential mortgage lending at Boston Five Cents Savings Bank, one of the region’s leading lending institutions at the time. He was later president of Central Cooperative Bank in Somerville.

According to his obituary, Morrissey met often with “not-so-credit-worthy” borrowers. At a celebration of his career, the program noted: “Scores of now successful, solid citizens were able to purchase their first home only because Billy Morrissey listened to their story and took a chance on them.”

During his 65-year banking career, Morrissey was on the board of the Massachusetts Bankers Association and chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s board of directors. He also worked at the Massachusetts Division of Banks and Atlantic Savings Bank in Revere.

A wake for Morrissey will be held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 4-7 p.m. A funeral will be held at the cathedral on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.