We are LendKey

See how we empower lenders everyday

We founded our company in 2009 after the Great Recession, during a difficult time for financial institutions facing the triple threat of high capital requirements, increased regulatory scrutiny and nascent fintech companies focused on disrupting banks and credit unions.

We invested $30 million dollars to create and continually innovate a lending-as-a-service platform to help lenders—our customers—build and run a profitable digital lending business.

We had the foresight to recognize that financial services firms needed a reliable partner that could become integral to their business success. We have been steadfast in our commitment to provide a service that strengthens our partners that are focused on Main Street and our local communities nationwide.

Today we’re the end-to-end digital lending partner to hundreds of banks and credit unions, from delivering new customers and members to servicing throughout the life of a loan. Lenders now can offer credit products online in an efficient, secure way, and give borrowers a seamless digital lending experience.

We’ve deployed more than $2.7 billion in lending capital and serviced more than $1.84 billion in loans on behalf of hundreds of banks and credit unions. In all, more than 87,000 consumers have had their financing needs met through lenders that partner with LendKey.

Leadership Team

CEO & Founder

Vince Passione

Vince is the founder and CEO of LendKey, the market’s most advanced lending platform and network, and a veteran technologist for financial services companies. Before LendKey, Vince was the COO of DealerTrack, the nation’s first and largest automotive credit portal. He has also been the President of Ameritrade’s Institutional Client Division, the CEO of OnMoney.com, the CTO of Citigroup’s US Consumer Bank and a Business Unit Executive at IBM. Vince received his B.S. from Polytechnic University.
COO & Co-Founder

Mike Stallmeyer

As COO, Mike is responsible for all financial management, lending operations, credit and risk analytics, and client service. He brings 20 years of experience across financial services. Previously, Mike worked for a number of global organizations in investment banking, fixed income structured finance, portfolio management, and capital markets—including UBS where he served as Executive Director of the Investment Bank and as Vice President at Credit Suisse. Mike began his career in banking at Fifth Third and received his BA in economics from Duke University.
Chief Marketing Officer

Lewis Goldman

Lewis is a digital marketing and E-Commerce pioneer who has helped create and scale businesses and brands for leaders such as Citibank, MetLife and CNBC. He has worked across all lending categories including unsecured lines and loans, home equity, credit cards, auto loans, and mortgages. At LendKey, Lewis is accelerating the company’s growth by creating a strong brand position, driving the vision and execution of its marketing efforts, and expanding its business development and customer acquisition initiatives.
SVP, Credit Risk

Aditi Agrawal

As head of Credit Risk at LendKey, Aditi’s focus is driving credit risk recommendations – including underwriting policies, verifications strategies, fraud risk management, loan pricing, collections and recoveries strategy.

Aditi brings Risk Management experience from several Financial Services firms, including OnDeck, where she was Head of Pricing & Profitability.  She was heavily involved in establishing portfolio profitability and pricing strategy as well as with customer acquisition and existing customer management.  Prior to OnDeck, Aditi spent time at Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, as VP of Credit Cards, and at American Express where she played a lead role in collections strategies and portfolio analytics.  Aditi holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science, in Indore, India.
SVP, Engineering

Michael Hawkins

Mike has decades of experience in software engineering and product management in the complex, and highly regulated markets, of finance and healthcare. He leads LendKey’s engineering team—creating a seamless experience that gives borrowers the experience they want and puts forward the best version of our lending partners. Before LendKey, Mike served as CTO of SoMoLend, a crowdfunded startup based in Cincinnati. He is the lead author of four patents in adaptive workflow, resource prioritization, and UX.
SVP, Regulatory Compliance Counsel

David Mark

David is responsible for managing all legal and regulatory affairs for LendKey, with an emphasis on consumer financial services. On the regulatory side, David’s focus is on compliance with consumer lending laws and regulations as they pertain to LendKey’s loan origination and servicing platform.  David is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee, Association of Corporate Counsel, and he serves as a Subject Matter Expert for the CUNA Councils Community (Regulatory/Legislative/Compliance Community). David is admitted to the New York Bar, and he holds a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration from the University of Florida, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Florida International University College of Law.

SVP, Head of Product

Samir Suri

Samir is charged with guiding the vision of LendKey’s platform and enhancing the user experience for our lending partners and borrowers. Prior to LendKey, Samir served as Senior Director at Oportun Inc., a social enterprise that helps provide access to affordable credit for individuals who are underserved or unbanked. During his five year tenure at Oportun, the company’s loan portfolio grew from $85 million to nearly $1 billion. Samir holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
SVP, Infrastructure

Anoop Thyagarajan

Anoop is one of the founders of LendKey and oversees information and data security, data governance, and infrastructure. He began his career as a technology officer at KobeMail and a Software Engineer at Ewomp. He holds a degree from the College of Engineering Chengannur in Kerala.
SVP, Lender Partnerships

Christian Widhalm

Christian leads lender partnerships and works with clients to create profitable and successful digital lending programs. His tenure at LendKey began in 2010 and he has carried impactful leadership roles covering nearly every surface of the organization.  Christian is an expert in digital lending and frequently speaks to bank executives on how to better attract the Millennial demographic. His career began working in partner sponsorships for Major League Baseball and he holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Syracuse University.
VP, Software Engineering

Hank Birkdale

Hank is responsible for leading & managing LendKey’s Software Engineering teams across our Origination & Servicing platform.  Hank brings over 30 years of experience in software development, having spent time at Fidelity Investments and Cox Automotive in leadership roles.
Hank is also a veteran of the armed services, having served in the United States Air Force and retiring as a Colonel.  Hank holds a Master of Science in Operations Research from the Air Force Institute of Technology, in Dayton, OH.
VP, Loan Servicing

Ben Farmer

Ben leads LendKey’s loan servicing and collections efforts. Ben has over 20 years of experience managing customer support, servicing, and collections efforts for both student loans and unsecured consumer receivables. Before joining LendKey, Ben worked at Sallie Mae and most recently at TEMPOE in Cincinnati as the senior director of operations.
VP, Home Improvement Lending GM

Nicholas P. Lazares

Nick is a veteran of consumer finance programs and brings over ten years of experience in overseeing home improvement loan programs. He will be responsible for overseeing all business development efforts, enhancing consumer and contractor experience to be best-in-class on the LendKey platform, and maintaining loan portfolio performance.

Prior to joining LendKey, Nick served as VP of Sales at Admirals Bank where he advised efforts to drive over $350MM in Home Improvement consumer loan originations. Nick also led the charge to overhaul antiquated sale processes, implement innovative new loan products, and roll out industry-leading software to improve customer service and grow sales.
VP, Finance & Accounting

Stacey Rohrbaugh

Stacey is LendKey’s VP of finance and accounting. She leads corporate accounting, treasury management, financial reporting and forecasting for the organization. Before LendKey, Stacey managed the accounting arms of Unifund and Luxottica Retail Group. She received her BS in accounting from Miami University and is a CPA.
VP, Senior Product Manager

Chrissy Willoughby

Chrissy is a VP, Senior Product Manager on LendKey’s Product team. She has held various leadership positions in her time with the company, leading LendKey’s loan specialist, loan analyst, and client implementation teams prior to her current role. Before joining LendKey, Chrissy held positions in operations, sales, and service management at Fifth Third Bank. She earned her BS in accountancy from Miami University in Ohio.