Florida Banking April 2022

Y ou will soon know First Home Bank by a new name: BayFirst Bank, illustrating the bank’s commitment to the community of Tampa Bay even as it continues to grow in the national market. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, the bank was founded in 1999 and recapitalized in 2011. Anthony (Tony) Leo has served as CEO of BayFirst Financial Corp. since 2013. When Leo joined the bank, it had $69 million in assets and two banking centers. Today, BayFirst Bank is just shy of a billion dollars in assets with seven banking centers and 23 residential mortgage loan production offices around the nation. The bank’s SBA lending division, CreditBench, is among the top 15 national lenders in the country and the No. 1 SBA 7(a) lender in the Tampa Bay region. As the bank grew, its leadership discussed the evolving business model and realized that the company’s ethos was no longer being reflected in the name “First Home Bank.” “It was time to refresh the overall branding and design. The new branding is more representative of our progressive organization,” Leo said. “BayFirst is unique, eye-catching, and reflects who we are as a national lender. At the same time, it speaks to our focus on Tampa Bay first.” The bank’s transition is underway. The rebrand features a new logo with the triangular “play” button over the “i” in BayFirst, symbolizing the bank’s forward-thinking approach.

Last August, Tampa was ranked by Forbes as the top emerging tech city in the United States. BayFirst Bank is leaning into this reputation by partnering with fintechs and working with other local innovators. “We have always had a lot of comfort in applying technology to banking. Technology supports our bank’s talent,” said Chief Technology Officer John Macaluso. The BayFirst team has created an advanced technology platform to extend its personal banking services with innovative digital products and is in the process of building a similar digital platform for SBA and commercial loans. “We want to be the bank that individuals, families and businesses think of first for their banking services,” Leo said. “We continue to grow here in Tampa Bay, because at our heart, we are a community bank despite the national lending services we provide through residential mortgages and SBA loans.” According to Leo, the bank does not have a niche business but rather a broad business model to serve its customers with a full set of banking products and services. That said, BayFirst Bank provides additional services that set it apart, including its TrendSetters Club for members 50 years or better and its Cash Kids Club. “Our Cash Kids Club provides kids the opportunity to understand the value of money and to make savings fun. At the same time, it introduces the bank to new families throughout the Tampa Bay region,” Leo said. BayFirst Bank, Continued on page 10

The BayFirst Bank leadership, from left, are: Tony Leo, Matthew Luckey, Tom Zernick, Brandi Jaber, Lewis Benner, Robin Oliver, Jeff Hunt, and John Macaluso.

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