Bank of America Merrill Lynch has named Steve Kenny as the east region executive for commercial real estate banking (CREB). Kenny succeeds Chris Thomas, who is retiring. Kenny manages teams that serve CREB clients in the eastern half of the U.S. He previously was the CREB executive for the New York and New Jersey markets. Kenny reports to Ron Curtis, head of CREB. "Steve's experience in the industry, his understanding of our strategy and his creativity in providing the right solutions have been instrumental in serving Bank of America Merrill Lynch's commercial real estate clients," Curtis said. "Steve is a proven leader with the expertise and innovation to help our company continue delivering for clients." CREB is part of global commercial banking and works closely with other businesses within Bank of America Merrill Lynch to provide a broad set of financial solutions to professional real estate developers, REITs and Opportunity Funds nationwide. Bank of America Merrill Lynch extended $41.3 billion in commercial real estate loans in 2013.