First Republic Bank appointed Douglas M. Smith as a managing director at the firm's office in Boston. Smith, who has 15 years of banking and real estate experience, will work with high net worth individuals and families in the area.

Previously, Smith worked for Eastern Bank as a senior vice president and team leader in commercial real estate. Before that, he was president of First National Bank of Ipswich's Boston division. He has a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Assumption College in Massachusetts.

A division of Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust, First Republic provides banking, trust, brokerage and wealth management services. It's headquartered in San Francisco.