We’re proud to welcome Five Star Bank to our Hebrew Free Loan Business Circle, and grateful to them for sponsoring our Happy Hour Mixer in Walnut Creek last winter (see photos above)! Five Star strives to be a customer advocate, community champion, and driver of economic development. Utilizing a high-tech and high-touch approach, the bank aims to provide clients with boutique business banking services inspired by partnership and defined by shared vision and goals.
It’s a privilege to be affiliated with this publicly traded bank that has won multiple industry awards. Five Star was ranked among S&P Global Market Intelligence’s top three best-performing community banks in the nation in 2025. It was also named as one of the best places to work by the San Francisco Business Times in 2026, which ranked it #1 among similar-sized businesses.*
Hebrew Free Loan’s connections to Five Star Bank run deep. The bank’s staff includes Sergey Shikhvarg, who is a former student loan recipient and member of our Full Circle Club, and Kelny Denebeim, who we met when she became Hebrew Free Loan’s personal banker at First Republic Bank over 20 years ago. Here’s what they, along with Managing Director Jeff Winkel, have to say about why they support Five Star’s membership in our Business Circle.
Sergey Shikhvarg, Senior Vice President / Managing Director: “I received interest-free student loans from Hebrew Free Loan over 20 years ago when I was studying for my bachelor’s degree in economics at UC Davis. I had a part-time job, and my parents contributed what they could, but Hebrew Free Loan closed the gap. I’ve worked in banking ever since, and I’m grateful for the support that helped me build such a meaningful career. I now donate personally to the organization as a member of the Full Circle Club, to pay forward the help I received. I’m equally proud to support Five Star Bank’s partnership with Hebrew Free Loan through the Business Circle.”
Kelny Denebeim, Senior Vice President / Director of Community Relations: “Growing up in the San Francisco Jewish community, I had always known about Hebrew Free Loan, but it hit close to home when my sister received an interest-free adoption loan to start her family. Seeing that impact firsthand stayed with me. I became Hebrew Free Loan’s personal banker in the early 2000s, when I was with First Republic Bank, and I love the longevity of our connection. Working with nonprofits is a way to give back to my community; the nonprofits can focus on their mission, while I take care of their financial needs.”
Jeff Winkel, Senior Vice President / Managing Director: “What stands out about Hebrew Free Loan is that they’re not just focused on access to capital. They’re actually delivering it in a way that removes barriers and creates opportunities for people who otherwise might not be able to address their challenges or pursue their dreams. Interest-free lending is a powerful model, and we’re honored to support an organization that’s benefiting the community in such a direct way and with such significant impact.”
* Additional recognitions for Five Star Bank include the 2024 Raymond James Community Bankers Cup as well as Piper Sandler’s Sm-All Stars ranking for multiple years in a row. In 2025, Five Star was ranked #4 on the list of best U.S. banks with assets less than $5 billion by Bank Director Magazine’s Ranking Banking and #13 on the top 25 U.S. banks of all asset sizes by Bank Director Magazine’s Ranking Banking. The bank is rated as Superior with Bauer Financial and the IDC and is a Super Premier Performer with The Findley Report.
