Fast 15: Edgar Mora

Edgar Mora has always loved soccer and other sports. In middle school, he dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player, but that morphed when he got into high school. A new love — architecture — took hold, and he joined an architecture club.

He was soon competing at architecture competitions and even finished as high as third in the state in drafting. He went to college for a few years to study the craft, but soon he switched to business administration and began to think about a career in the business world.  

Mora was self-admittedly “floating through life” when at the age of 21 he got a job at Arvest Bank. He had banked there, along with his family, but never had any thoughts about working there. Six years later, he’s a branch manager.  

“I didn’t have a structured path. … I didn’t have a set plan,” he said. “I love what I’m doing now. I love the culture of our company. I love my team, and most importantly, I love our customers.”  

Mora’s days are filled with many different tasks. He often coordinates with other branch sales managers, attends meetings, communicates with his tellers and customers, and performs other duties.  

If a teller calls in sick or is off for another reason, he must assume those duties. Sometimes he helps facilitate the loan process with customers. At other times he has to take specialty learning courses or work with task forces.  

“I feel like I get pulled in a thousand different directions as a branch sales manager,” he said with a laugh.  

One part of his job that he loves is teaching people financial literacy. He said there needs to be more education on this topic in his community — the Hispanic community — and he’s pleased he can serve as a conduit.  

The banking industry is facing constant headwinds from interest rates going up and down, or inflation in the economy. Keeping up with technology and fighting fraudsters are unique challenges, he added.  

“They [the fraudsters] always seem to be a step ahead,” he said. “They are always up to some new scam, and we have to be ready to protect our customers.”