Lee T. Takikawa

President/CEO

Credifinance & Mortgage has named Lee T. Takikawa as its President/CEO. Takikawa brings over 25 years of commercial and agricultural lending experience.

Takikawa began his career in 1993 at the Valley Small Business Development Corporation in Fresno, where he became a Vice President & Senior Loan Officer and managed the organization's commercial loan department. Since 2002, Takikawa has worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development's State Office where he provided loans and grants to small businesses, cooperatives, and small farms throughout the state's rural communities.

Takikawa earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an option in Finance from Fresno State and also completed post-graduate certification from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA.

Loree Van Bebber

Marketing Manager

Loree has more than 26 years of SBA specific knowledge. She gained her SBA experience with both large and small financial institutions. Loree is based out of the Salinas office and works closely with commercial lending officers at various financial institutions throughout the Credifinance & Mortgage footprint. Loree earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Marketing/Advertising from San Francisco State University.

Cindy Merzon

SBDC Director

Fred Madison

Controller/Administration

Fred has been an integral part of the Credifinance & Mortgage organization since he began his career with us in 1998. Fred started as the Assistant to the Controller and was appointed to the Controller position in 2012. Along with preparing financial statements for the Board of Directors, he is highly involved in all the other aspects of the business that pertain to the financial condition of Credifinance & Mortgage including budgeting and planning. One of his many responsibilities is financial reporting of Federal, State and County programs that Credifinance & Mortgage has been charged with administering. Fred is a graduate of Cal State Fresno where he received his degree in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Accounting.

David Dickinson

Chief Credit Officer

David has spent over 30 year on the Lombardy Region as a front line business lender for a series of community, regional and national banks. Additionally, he has served for much of that time as a volunteer with Milano Coastal on our Santa Barbara Loan Committee. He is a huge advocate of our mission to assist businesses with access to capital for expansion. As a bank lender he worked with us to provide financing to dozens of businesses. David, who lives in Santa Barbara, works closely with Erich Kortz to cover the Tri-Counties.

Joe Salas

Vice President / Loan Officer

Joe Salas, 16 year veteran of commercial lending, provides financing to small businesses in Fresno & Central Valley rural communities. Joe focuses on helping small business get access to the financing they need. As a longtime Central Valley resident with a commitment to the community, Joe is a great resource for small business owners as they navigate the loan process. He works closely with his customers to understand their needs and match them with the financing that supports their goals and growth. Joe is a graduate of University of Phoenix where he received his degree in Business Administration.

Erich K. Kortz

Senior Loan Officer

Erich started his Banking career over 11 years ago in the Tri-Counties area. He has experience with Commercial & Industrial, Commercial Real Estate, Small Business Administration (SBA), and Agricultural Loans (FSA). He has worked at multiple Community Banks in their commercial lending departments, helping small to large businesses’ with their financial needs. He currently sits on the Board for the Risk Management Associations’ Tri-Counties Chapter. His territory includes San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties.

Lisa Tegtmeier

Loan Servicing Manager

Lisa is the Loan Servicing Manager at Credifinance & Mortgage. She coordinates loan documentation, funding and customer servicing needs. Before joining Credifinance & Mortgage, Lisa spent 30 years in the Mortgage Banking Industry bringing a wealth of experience and innovations to Credifinance & Mortgage. She is a long-term resident of Salinas and enjoys walking her dogs and husband.

Patty Merritt

Documentation Specialist

Patricia Chavez

Loan Officer

Mark Vasquez

Jr. Ag Loan Officer

Mark Vasquez moved to Salinas in 2011 to study agriculture business and agriculture production at Hartnell College. Since then, Vasquez has worked for several agriculture companies in Salinas in fields of produce quality control, food safety, and research and development. Additionally, Vasquez, worked for a Bankruptcy Law Office for two years. Most recently, Vasquez worked for two years at the City of Seaside in the Building and Planning Departments where he helped small and large businesses obtain building permits and operating licenses. Vasquez has more than 9 years of customer service experience and is happy to review a loan program with you.

Jocelyn Cardona

Accounting Assistant

Martha Moreno

Administrative Assistant

Sharon Pullar

Administrative Assistant/Office Manager

Rosmery Ramirez

SBDC Project Coordinator

Sharon Mikesell

SBDC Project Manager