Ken Bauer is OneAZ Credit Union’s executive vice president and chief lending officer. Bauer is a veteran in the banking industry, with more than 20 years of experience working with banking institutions of all sizes. For the past six years, his depth of knowledge has been focused on the credit union movement. Two years ago, that shift toward credit unions brought him to Arizona and OneAZ.
Bauer oversees various lines of lending production and fulfillment, including mortgages and commercial loans, as well as overseeing all credit risk for OneAZ.
Loan production and fulfillment is one of the most important services for OneAZ’s 150,000 members and for the 10,000 local businesses OneAZ partners with, as evidenced by the placement of teams of mortgage and commercial bankers throughout the State of Arizona. Bauer’s team manages consumer loans that range from conventional home loans to jumbo mortgages, as well as business loans from $50,000 to as high as $25 million. Those services make dreams of homeownership a reality for families and help businesses thrive in an ever-changing economic landscape.
For Bauer, what makes those services unique at OneAZ is the emphasis on forming bonds with members. “We put a tremendous focus on relationships with our borrowers,” says Bauer. “We are truly here to serve their needs and improve their lives.” Valuing a member’s experience goes beyond simply providing members with products or services. “Our loan originators and business bankers guide members to help them make the best decisions for their financial well-being or the prosperity of their business,” Bauer says.
Bauer has been a business owner and entrepreneur, having started and owned several businesses himself. That experience as a business owner has been integral in his insistence that OneAZ be a partner to local businesses and has helped him and his team better understand the unique challenges and opportunities faced by business owners.
The experienced commercial bankers under Bauer’s leadership work hard to guide business members into making decisions that are best for their businesses. That may be helping them with treasury management services, or providing them with business credit cards, working capital or financing for equipment and commercial real estate. They also have expertise and insight into Arizona’s business community, which allows them to help businesses navigate a terrain that is constantly shifting and raising new challenges for business owners. “Right now, most businesses are seeing tremendous demand for their products and the biggest challenge they face is fulfilling that demand,” Bauer says. “OneAZ understands those challenges and the impact they’re having on our business partners. Because of that, we’re willing to be flexible and work with them to help them thrive.”
Looking ahead, Bauer aims to continue strengthening the bonds between the credit union and the business community. OneAZ and Bauer believe that will result in a better environment for all of Arizona. “We really believe that our small and medium-sized businesses are the bedrock of Arizona’s economy,” he says. “And our role is to support them with every resource we have available.”
About:
Banker of Excellence: Ken Bauer
Position: EVP Chief Lending Officer
Company Name: OneAZ Credit Union
Main Local Office Address: 2355 W. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (602) 452-4874
Website: www.oneazcu.com
Number of Offices in Metro Phoenix: 8 in Greater Phoenix; 20 Arizona locations
Year Established Locally: 1951
Headquartered: Phoenix
No. of Years with Firm: 2
Industry Expertise: Lending, Commercial Lending
