Simone Lagomarsino is President and CEO of Kinecta Federal Credit Union, a multi-faceted full-service financial organization.  Kinecta provides products and services that meet the financial needs of its members throughout all stages of their lives and across the entire socio-economic spectrum.  As the nation’s tenth largest credit union, with $4.4 billion in assets, Kinecta offers mainstream financial products including checking and savings accounts, auto and home loans, and credit cards through its 26 Southern California credit union branches. Kinecta’s subsidiaries expand the product array into investment and insurance products and alternative financial services such as check cashing, short-term lending, money transfers and pre-paid cards. Ms. Lagomarsino continues to search for innovative ways to expand the products and services offered to Kinecta members, enhance the service and delivery methods, and improve the experience for the consumer. She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of Kinecta’s employees, its member-owners, and in the communities where they live and work. 

Kinecta’s wholly owned subsidiaries include: Kinecta Financial & Insurance Services, LLC, a full-service investment broker dealer and insurance agency; Apollo Agencies, Inc., a property and casualty insurance agency operating out of eight offices; and Kinecta Alternative Financial Solutions, Inc., DBA Nix Check Cashing, a money services business that operates out of 55 offices in and around the Los Angeles region.

Ms. Lagomarsino joined Kinecta in June of 2006, bringing more than 25 years of broad-based financial services experience.  While Kinecta represents Ms. Lagomarsino’s first foray into the credit union movement, she completely embraces the core credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Prior to joining Kinecta, Simone held the position of Executive Vice President of First Federal Bank of California, and President of its Retail Banking Division. She served as President and CEO of Hawthorne Savings, a $2.7 billion financial institution based in El Segundo, Calif., until it was sold in 2004. During her five years at Hawthorne, total assets grew from $1.6 billion to $2.7 billion and core deposits increased from 23 percent to 42 percent of total deposits.
Ms. Lagomarsino believes that everyone, especially the underserved, should have access to quality financial services. At Hawthorne Savings, this principle led her to develop numerous first-time home-buyer programs and a financial literacy program, working with community organizations including LA Neighborhood Housing, Inglewood Neighborhood Housing and Operation Hope.  She recently initiated a financial literacy program at Kinecta, resulting in 25 employees becoming certified to teach key financial skills to community youth.

In 2003, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Ms. Lagomarsino Business Owner/CEO of the Year. She was described at the Journal’s Women Making a Difference Awards reception, as a woman who “leads by example, successfully blending effective business vision with a passionate commitment to positively ‘making a difference,’ both in the world of business and in the communities they serve.”

Her efforts to engage and inspire Kinecta’s workforce in serving its members, and supporting the communities where they live and work led to Kinecta’s widely praised acquisition of Nix Check Cashing. This acquisition brings Kinecta’s services and expertise to previously underserved communities, and represents a revolutionary business model.

Ms. Lagomarsino holds a master’s degree in business with an emphasis in finance from Claremont Graduate School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Claremont McKenna College.