Citibank

Mike Fauth, area lending manager for Illinois at Citibank, has been with the company for 23 years, exemplifying an enviable level of commitment to both his clients and his team of loan officers. “I have the privilege of helping people accomplish something very personal and relevant in their lives,” he says, adding that he and his colleagues serve clients from all demographics ranging from first-time homebuyers to high-net-worth individuals.

Maintaining a consultative approach to lending, Fauth and his team focus on delivering only what their clients need and hold themselves accountable from the beginning to the end of every transaction. “In the real estate and lending business, issues can surface throughout the process,” he says. “Our clients expect and trust that we will assist on any issue and do what’s needed to help and solve for it.”

An eight-time winner of Citibank’s Leaders of Excellence Award, Fauth ranks among the top 1 percent of the company’s consumer bank employees in North America, and prides himself on his credit acumen and his ability to foster a collaborative environment among his team. “Working as a team helps us to better serve our clients in all aspects of their financial needs,” he says.

Fauth is a member of the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Asian Real Estate Association of America, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and the Chicago Association of Realtors. He is an active volunteer with the Watch Dog program at his child’s school and participates in the American Bankers Association’s Teach the Children to Save initiative. Fauth also teaches financial literacy programs and supports the local March of Dimes chapter. “There is no better investment than our children so I have great passion for working with them,” he says. “They teach me just as much as I try to teach them.”

Outside of work, Fauth spends all of his time with his wife and daughters, having fun in every way he can, whether it be through coaching sports or playing golf.