James Fischer Montgomery (Jim) died peacefully in Rancho Mirage, Calif. on December 13, 2012. He was 78 years old. Jim was born in Topeka, Kansas to James M. and Frieda E. Montgomery. When Jim was 12, his family moved from Kansas to Canoga Park, Calif. where he attended Canoga Park High School. Jim earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting at UCLA, where he played on the university's national championship winning volleyball team. After graduating from UCLA, Jim began a very distinguished career in banking. He served as Chief Financial Officer of United Savings and as President of Citizen Savings before being stolen away by Great Western Financial Corporation and Great Western Bank, at which he served as the savings and loan's President in 1975, it's Chief Executive Officer in 1981 and it's Chairman in 1984. During his tenure, which lasted until the company's sale in 1997, Jim successfully led the financial institution through two savings and loan crises, helped to grow the company to nearly $50 billion in assets, and was named the "Outstanding Chief Executive" in the savings and loan industry for 7 straight years by the Wall Street Transcript. Known as an exceptional leader and innovator in the banking industry, Jim was instrumental in the creation and the development of the adjustable rate mortgage and the "cost of funds index", which helped to revolutionize the banking and mortgage industry. He served on numerous boards including Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and served as Chairman of America's Community Bankers (ACB). Following his retirement from Great Western, Jim founded Frontier Bank, FSB in Park City, Utah. Having a life-long commitment to various civic and charitable causes, Jim received numerous awards including the "Duke Award" from the John Wayne Cancer Foundation and the "Jerry Buss Humanitarian Award". Jim is survived by his wife, Martha Jane; his four sons, Michael, Jeffrey, Andrew, and John; and his sister, Teri Summers. A memorial service will be held at 12:00 p.m. on January 25, 2013 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park located at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in Los Angeles, Calif. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, which was one of the causes most dear to Jim. Please visit info@johnwayne.org to learn more.
