It takes more than good numbers to excel in the financial services sector. That’s why it’s so important to recognize the the individuals and institutions earning Excellence in Banking recognition for 2025.
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For a bank or credit union to excel in its industry, it must focus on delivering exceptional customer service, maintain financial stability, and demonstrate an ability to adapt to market changes. Building a solid relationship with customers is essential, as it fosters trust and loyalty. Providing personalized experiences, understanding customer needs, and offering tailored financial solutions helps create a competitive advantage. Excellence in customer service involves efficient problem resolution, accessibility, and a seamless user experience across all channels, including digital and in-branch services.
Az Business will be highlighting one Excellence in Banking category each day. Here are the individuals and institutions earning recognition for exceptional community impact in 2025.
Exceptional community impact
Bell Bank teamed up with former Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald to take 50 kids from locally founded Future Stars — which provides opportunities for inner city youth to achieve their goals in higher education — on back-to-school shopping sprees. “Bell Bank is a great example of an organization at the top that doesn’t forget their core values,” Fitzgerald says. “That is something that is very commendable and I hope more companies will see this and try to emulate that.”
CDC Small Business Finance
At CDC Small Business Finance, experts work tirelessly to help entrepreneurs in Arizona turn their dreams to reality. These entrepreneurs often cannot access traditional lending to launch or grow their businesses. But CDC is able to help by leveraging traditional SBA 504 loans — and CDC also created the innovative Impower product to further expand the credit box. In 2023 alone, CDC Small Business Finance helped 31 businesses in Arizona with $23,905,000 in SBA 504 loans.
Desert Financial and Desert Financial Foundation contribute significantly to the community through robust social responsibility programs. As part of its Give and Grow strategy, Desert Financial consistently supports its members, team and community through a range of programs encompassing corporate and community giving, volunteering, foundation scholarships, fundraising, financial well-being education, Random Acts of Kindness, and teacher appreciation. Highlights from 2023 include performing nearly 13,400 Random Acts of Kindness and impacting over 55,878 individuals through grant funding.
Geneva Financial
Geneva Financial stands as a beacon of community impact, driven by a mission to humanize the homebuying experience while actively contributing to societal betterment. This commitment is epitomized by the company’s main initiative, “Be A Good Human,” which permeates every aspect of its operations and community engagements. The “Be A Good Human” initiative is not just a slogan but a guiding principle that informs Geneva Financial’s business practices and community interactions.
TMC Financing
Since TMC Financing’s expansion into the Arizona market in 2021, Geoff McGivern and his team has significantly contributed to the local economy through its SBA 504 loan program. In fiscal year 2023, TMC Financing’s Arizona team facilitated 155 SBA 504 commercial real estate loans, totaling an impressive $543 million in project financing. This substantial investment has led to the creation of 1,800 jobs, demonstrating TMC’s profound impact on the community.
