Juan Jaureguizar: Uses experience to build new residential lending operation

Juan Jaureguizar started in banking as a part-time teller at Sun Bank in 1983. He was just starting a career in electrical engineering but soon decided that he would pursue a finance degree. For almost 40 years he grew his career in residential and mortgage lending and now leads Grove Bank & Trust as senior vice president and director of residential lending. 

In 1984 he became the first employee of the mortgage department of Republic National Bank. Roberto Gonzalez Blanco, chief financial officer of the bank and a mentor to Mr. Jaureguizar, told him mortgage loans were a growing opportunity and he took the advice. For the next six years, Mr. Jaureguizar grew in the department, learning everything from mortgage origination to processing the loans and collecting the payment of taxes and insurance. 

“I was able to expand my wealth of knowledge into all those different areas,” he said. 

In 1991 he was approached by AIB Mortgage and Mr. Jaureguizar worked with the company until 2000 as a servicing manager, overseeing the sale of loans to other financial institutions. 

In 2001, he and two partners purchased the company and ran it until 2008 when the financial crisis hit. “Everything came to a standstill, so at that point, we closed the operations,” he said. 

He joined Ocean Bank and worked there until 2016. Later, he joined Gibraltar Private Bank as a loan officer and then worked at International Finance Bank in the same capacity. 

This year he joined Grove Bank & Trust as senior vice president and director of residential lending. Mr. Jaureguizar is now responsible for the bank’s leadership and strategic direction of the residential line of business. 

Mr. Jaureguizar spoke with Miami Today reporter Gabriela Henriquez Stoikow. 

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