While MidFirst Bank may not yet be a
household name in Arizona, that’s
about to change. The company’s new
branch, opening this fall on Elliott
Road just west of Rural Road in
south Tempe, will be one of 12 new
MidFirst banking centers opening in
metro Phoenix this year.
Officials of the Oklahoma-based bank
say the company plans to double that
number next year because they
consider the Phoenix area a
high-growth market in the near- and
long-term.
Mortgage lending is a big part of
what MidFirst offers the local
housing market, according to Mike
Piazza, vice president.
“We offer competitive rates as well
as some of the lowest fees on the
market on conventional, FHA and VA
loans,” said Piazza. “We also have
special programs for first-time
homebuyers as well as combo loans.”
Unlike the giant publicly owned
chains in Arizona, MidFirst is the
third-largest privately owned bank
in the United States, yet remains
proud of its small-bank feel and
personalized service.
“Our banking staff is very active in
the communities we support,” he
said.
Both the south Tempe branch manager,
Lindsay Naughton, and the
business relationship manager,
Barbara Castle, already have
started making their presence known
in the area.
Most recently, says Piazza,
MidFirst’s fundraising van
participated in three events in
Tempe, including the Arizona
Cardinals Fan Fest at the team’s
practice facility at Warner and
Hardy, raising funds for Cardinals
charities.
It also showed up at the Costco
store at Elliott and Hardy in
support of the Children’s Miracle
Network and the Fiddlesticks on
Elliot, raising funds for local
Rotary clubs.
The same availability can be
extended to residents of the Kyrene
Corridor who are looking for
fundraising opportunities, according
to Piazza.
“Our 30-foot-long van is complete
with two coin-counting machines and
an ATM, which we bring to local
schools and events to assist
organizations with their fundraising
efforts,” says Piazza.
Among MidFirst’s more unusual
services are free coin-counting
machines in the bank lobby for
anyone (customer or not), free use
of automatic teller machines for
customers nationwide and the longest
banking hours in the Valley: 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9
to 2 on Saturdays, 10 to 2 on
Sundays.
If you’re not counting coins but are
potentially interested in a banking
career, MidFirst is currently hiring
tellers and customer-care
coordinators.
In addition to the launch of the
branch at Rural and Elliot later
this year, MidFirst will open
another banking center at 48th
Street and Chandler Boulevard and
yet another at Priest and Warner in
2009.
Most surprisingly, while the banking
and mortgage industry as a whole has
experienced uncertainty and a
precipitous drop in profitability in
the last year, MidFirst reported
$68.2 million in earnings for the
first quarter this year, compared
with $52 million for the first
quarter last year. “MidFirst remains
a top performer in the banking
industry,” said Jeff Lowe,
president of MidFirst Bank’s Arizona
operations.
“As measure by return on equity,
MidFirst ranks among the top two
percent of all banks in the United
States,” he said.
Clearly MidFirst is optimistic about
the future and hoping Valley
residents will share its vision.
