BANKING & FINANCE
{ BANKING } MIKE BROWN
Arizona regional president Washington Federal washingtonfederal.com Brown is the first-ever Arizona regional president in Washington Federal’s 100year history. He also serves as president of the company’s Equipment Finance Division, headquartered in Phoenix. In 2017, Brown feted the bank’s centennial by building and opening a 10,000-square-foot Arizona regional headquarters office, located in Scottsdale. He currently oversees 31 branches across Arizona. Business advice: “Surround yourself with good people. And define good by who they are – to their families, to the community and to colleague – not just how they perform on the job.”
BENITO ALMANZA
NEAL CRAPO
Arizona market president Bank of America bankofamerica.com
Almanza is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Santa Clara. He has been with the bank for 34 years. He currently chairs the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board and is a member of Teach for America Arizona Board and Greater Phoenix Leadership. Business advice: “Be flexible and stay current. The industry is constantly changing, so learn to read your community’s tea leaves to take advantage of market opportunities.” Surprising fact: “I enjoy hiking and The Grateful Dead. I’ve hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon seven times and twice to the top of Half Dome at Yosemite. During these long hikes, my iPod is playing Grateful Dead music, a group I’ve seen in concert 87 times.”
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Southwest division manager Wells Fargo Middle Market Banking wellsfargo.com Crapo is senior vice president and Southwest division manager for Wells Fargo’s Middle Market Banking group. He oversees Regional Middle Market Banking teams in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. The teams focus on customers with more than $20 million in sales. Trend to watch: “Technology will continue to result in significant changes to the financial services industry. Whether it comes from AI, Virtual Reality, payment technologies, mobile technology, etc., the face of how banks interact with customers continues to change. The customer expectations of banking products changes as technology provides new capabilities.”
DON GARNER
CEO Alliance Bank of Arizona AllianceBankofArizona.com A founding member of the organization’s original management team, Garner has nearly 30 years of experience in commercial and real estate lending in Arizona.
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK: “The economic environment is strong and banks will continue to support business growth during this cycle. There is much activity on the M&A front and I anticipate we will see further consolidation of the industry and fewer independent organizations in the coming years. It’s evident that larger banks will continue to dedicate meaningful resources to corporate governance and risk management. Additionally, I anticipate technological innovations will lead to greater efficiencies and enhanced customer experiences. Our customers will continue to rely more on technology solutions in banking and overall. However, Alliance Bank’s value proposition as a relationshipfocused business will be an important differentiator.”
JEFF LOWE
Arizona market president MidFirst Bank midfirst.com Lowe leads the Arizona efforts for MidFirst Bank, one of the largest privately owned banks in the United States, serving more than 625,000 customers. MidFirst Bank has 25 branches in Arizona. Lowe, a 30-year veteran of the banking industry, is a native Arizonan who graduated from Sunnyslope High School in 1982. Lowe leads a bank that has more than 310 employees in Arizona has deposits in excess of $1.25 billion in Arizona. MidFirst Bank is the official bank of Arizona State University and offers ASU debit and credit cards. Away from work, Lowe has volunteers for a number of organizations in an effort to help raise money for local nonprofits.