Candace Thiele
Axos FinancialAbout Candace Thiele
Candace Thiele is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Axos Bank; she has been an executive officer since 2025, holds the position with the Bank only, and is 54 years old . She joined Axos Bank in 2022 after serving as SVP and Sales Performance Manager in Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America; she graduated from Pacific Coast Banking School in 2015 with honors, has served as faculty there since 2018, and holds a B.S. from the University of Southern California . Company performance context: in fiscal 2025 Axos reported outstanding results, exceeding financial objectives and ranking among top industry percentiles on ROA; book value grew an average 18% over the past three fiscal years; salaries and benefits were 0.91% of average assets vs. peers at 1.34% with $23.9B in assets, reflecting disciplined compensation spend .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axos Bank | EVP, Chief Administrative Officer | 2022–present | Executive officer since 2025; Bank-only officer; brings 20+ years across marketing, operations, commercial banking, and merchant services . |
| Bank of America | SVP, Sales Performance Manager, Global Commercial Banking | — | Led sales performance management; prior leadership roles in operations, marketing, strategy and enablement, and merchant services . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast Banking School | Faculty | 2018–present | Industry education and leadership; PCBS graduate in 2015 with honors . |
Fixed Compensation
- Axos’ executive program for NEOs consists of base salary, a short‑term performance-based cash incentive, and long‑term performance-based RSUs; bonuses for executives other than the CEO are awarded semi‑annually .
- Thiele is not listed among the 2025 Named Executive Officers in the Summary Compensation Table; base salary and bonus amounts specific to her are not disclosed in the proxy .
Performance Compensation
| Instrument | As-of Date | Shares/Units | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs | 11/14/2024 | 3,984 | Vests one‑third on each anniversary of grant | Initial beneficial ownership reported on Form 3; each RSU equals one share . |
- Company LTIP design: RSU awards are granted based on achievement of performance objectives and generally vest over three years (one‑third annually), aligning NEO incentives to long‑term TSR; CEO awards follow a different schedule .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| As-of Date | Common Shares (Direct) | Common Shares (401(k)) | RSUs (Unvested) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/14/2024 | 370 | 44 | 3,984 | Form 3 initial statement . |
- Stock ownership guidelines: Executives must meet minimum holdings within five years—8x salary (CEO), 5x (CFO), and 3x for Executive Vice Presidents such as Thiele .
- Hedging/pledging: Insider Trading Policy prohibits short sales, derivatives, and pledging of Company securities without prior written consent of the CFO .
- Employee loan program: FY2025 loan table lists participating directors/executives; Thiele is not listed among participants (no outstanding employee loan disclosed for her) .
Employment Terms
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employment type | Executive officers are employed at will . |
| Change‑in‑control cash severance | Company states no single‑trigger cash severance payments in employment agreements . |
| Change‑in‑control equity treatment | Double‑trigger applies under the stock plan; no repricing/underwater option repurchases without shareholder approval . |
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Multi‑year RSU vesting and stock ownership guidelines (3x salary for EVPs) create increasing long‑term alignment and a retention tether; Thiele’s initial equity footprint is small but programmed to grow via vesting and future awards if granted .
- Potential selling pressure: RSUs vest in thirds annually; potential supply at vesting dates warrants monitoring of Form 4 filings to assess any sell‑to‑cover or discretionary sales, subject to Axos’ insider trading windows and hedging/pledging restrictions .
- Pay-for-performance clarity: Axos ties long‑term equity to performance objectives and TSR; however, as a non‑NEO, Thiele’s specific STI metrics/weights and payouts are not disclosed, limiting external assessment of her cash incentive rigor .
- Governance/risk flags: The company disclosed a late Form 3 for Thiele (procedural compliance flag), but no employee loan exposure was disclosed for her (reducing pledge‑as‑collateral concerns); pledging is restricted by policy .
Notes:
- Officer status is at the Bank level (not the public company), and she became an executive officer in 2025 .
- Company performance context (ROA standing, book value growth, expense discipline) supports a compensation framework emphasizing equity and owner‑like behavior across employees .