Maria Wainwright
About Maria Wainwright
Maria Wainwright, age 47, is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at The Bancorp (TBBK). She has served as CMO since 2019, after joining The Bancorp in 2013 and progressing through roles including Creative Director (2013–2016), Head of Marketing (2016–2018), and Head of Marketing and Public Relations (2019). Prior industry roles include Creative Director positions at Delaware Investments and Lincoln Financial Group, where she led corporate brand platforms; she currently leads marketing, communications, branding, and investor relations at The Bancorp . During her tenure, company performance has been strong: 2024 net income was $218M, ROE 27%, ROA 2.7%, and diluted EPS rose to $4.29; stock rose 36% in 2024 and 286% from year-end 2020 to year-end 2024 .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bancorp | Creative Director | 2013–2016 | Led corporate brand creative; foundation for unified brand platform |
| The Bancorp | Head of Marketing | 2016–2018 | Built marketing strategy supporting growth initiatives |
| The Bancorp | Head of Marketing & Public Relations | 2019 | Integrated external communications with marketing to support revenue generation |
| The Bancorp | EVP & Chief Marketing Officer | 2019–present | Oversees Marketing, Internal/External Communications, Branding, and Investor Relations; revenue growth via market research, product strategy, and PR |
| Delaware Investments | Creative Director | — | Led corporate brand platform across media; financial industry experience |
| Lincoln Financial Group | Creative Director | — | Developed brand platform across print, web, video, digital; financial industry experience |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No public company board roles or external directorships disclosed in proxy/IR materials |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base Salary ($) | Not disclosed | Maria is not a Named Executive Officer (NEO); proxy only reports NEO compensation |
| Target Bonus (%) | Not disclosed | NEO-only disclosure; company emphasizes pay-for-performance structures |
| Actual Bonus ($) | Not disclosed | Not included for non-NEOs; annual bonuses are discretionary and reviewed by the Compensation Committee |
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant/Transaction Date | Shares/Units | Price/Fair Value | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Option (award) | 2025-02-10 | 6,639 | $0 (award accounting, exercise price not listed in summary) | Options under TBBK plans vest 25% annually over 4 years |
| RSU vesting-related tax withholding | 2025-02-10 | 3,464 | $60.34 | RSUs under TBBK plans vest 33% annually over 3 years |
| Open-market sale | ~2024-11-01 | 11,357 | $50.08 per share; proceeds ~$568,726 | Indicates liquidity event; not a vesting schedule item |
Notes:
- TBBK equity plan mechanics: RSUs vest one-third per year over three years; options vest one-fourth per year over four years. Unvested RSUs/Options accelerate upon involuntary termination following a change in control; death/disability/retirement lead to vesting on the one-year anniversary of termination .
- Maria’s Form 4 filing link (SEC XML) confirms insider transaction reporting for TBBK .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | Value | Source/Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Shares directly owned after 2025-02-10 filing | 27,618 | Form 4 summary listing (shares owned column) |
| Ownership as % of outstanding | ~0.058% (27,618 / 47,954,218) | Outstanding shares as of 2025-04-02: 47,954,218 |
| Hedging/Pledging | Prohibited for employees, executive officers, and directors | Insider Trading Policy/Compensation practices |
| Stock Ownership Guidelines | Exec officers must meet minimum holdings; CEO 3× salary; directors 2× fees; new officers have up to 5 years to comply | Corporate Governance Guidelines; all execs currently in compliance |
| Clawbacks | Mandatory clawback for erroneous incentive-based comp upon restatement; discretionary clawback for misconduct for VP+ | Policies adopted Dec 1, 2023 and Dec 18, 2024 |
Employment Terms
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| Employment Agreement | TBBK generally does not enter employment agreements with executive officers; NEOs (and by customary practice, executives) serve at Board discretion |
| Severance | Not standardized; any severance would be individually negotiated if applicable |
| Change-of-Control Economics | Equity acceleration: all unvested RSUs become fully vested; options become exercisable; vested options retain exercisability periods per plan |
| Non-compete/Non-solicit | Not disclosed in proxy for Maria; Retirement/Consulting terms disclosed for CFO include customary covenants (illustrative of company practice) |
Performance & Track Record
| Metric | FY 2021 | FY 2022 | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Income ($M) | $110.7 | $130.2 | $192.3 | $217.5 |
| ROA (%) | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2.6% | 2.7% |
| ROE (%) | 18% | 19% | 26% | 27% |
| Diluted EPS ($) | — | $2.27 | $3.49 | $4.29 |
| Stock Price (Dec 31) | $13.65 (2020) baseline | — | $38.56 | $52.63 |
Context:
- Payments fees (prepaid/debit and related) grew 26% from 2022 to 2024; ACH/card/other payment fees up 64%; SBL balances up 29% over 2022–2024; NIM rose from 3.55% (2022) to 4.85% (2024) . These are firm-level levers aligned with marketing and product strategy under Wainwright’s remit.
Related Policies & Governance Relevant to Compensation
- Compensation oversight by independent Compensation & Talent Committee; benchmarking vs peers (e.g., Axos, Green Dot, Live Oak, Pathward) and pay-for-performance emphasis across cash bonus and long-term equity .
- Anti-hedging/pledging, ownership guidelines, mandatory and discretionary clawbacks strengthen alignment and mitigate risk .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Prohibitions on hedging/pledging, ownership guidelines, and clawbacks materially align executive incentives with shareholders and reduce governance risk .
- Insider Selling Pressure: Wainwright sold 11,357 shares (~$569k) at ~$50.08 in Nov 2024, a significant reduction in her holdings; monitor for further sales vs programmatic tax withholding from RSU vesting (e.g., 3,464 shares withheld at $60.34 on 2025-02-10) .
- Retention Risk: Absence of employment agreements suggests flexibility but not guaranteed severance; equity awards have standard acceleration on change-of-control which can influence retention dynamics pre/post transaction .
- Performance Linkage: Company-level metrics (ROE/ROA, EPS, NIM, payments fee growth, and TSR) trend positively across 2021–2024, supporting ongoing incentive structures tied to performance and strategic execution; continued monitoring of equity grant cadence and any large discretionary bonuses among non-NEOs is warranted .
Highlight: Wainwright’s scope includes investor relations and brand strategy; she was a quoted lead on the 2021 corporate website launch aligning brand/market positioning with growth strategy .