Print edition: 
For 15 years Dan Jones has been in charge of Capitol Federal Savings' lending operations in the Wichita area, Emporia and Salina.
The 47-year-old first vice president and regional lending manager has spent all of his 22-year career with Cap Fed in Wichita.
The Chapman native started as an assistant branch manager at the thrift's Douglas and Rock Road branch, when Cap Fed had only three offices here. It now has eight area branches.
Jones' first boss, Joe Aleshire, was at the time a branch manager and is now an executive vice president in charge of all of the Topeka-based thrift's retail banking operations.
"He was willing to train me to be a loan officer," said Jones, who started at Cap Fed with no banking experience. "I owe a lot to him. He's still a mentor of mine even though he's not a direct boss."
Jones said the combination of a recession and financial crisis has made for a challenging time not only for the mortgage business but also the banking industry as a whole.
"The business has definitely changed more in the past two years than in the past 20," he said.
Jones said he's also noticed a shift among mortgage customers since the financial crisis. Buyers are being more realistic in terms of the houses they are looking to buy, he said, opting for houses that are more within their budgets and maybe not as gargantuan as in years past.
"We see kind of a fundamental shift in households in Wichita," he said. "People are doing the assessment: Is this a need or a want?"
The first two years of your career were spent working in life insurance sales and as a financial adviser. What prompted the change to banking?
"I found out pretty quickly that cold calling wasn't my calling."
You've been at Cap Fed for all of your banking career. Why?
"When you really love your work and really feel a part of the mission of a company, and your morals and ethics really mesh well, then it's easy."
Because Cap Fed's lending business is primarily mortgages, do you find yourself working a lot with Realtors and builders?
"It's more of a support role, to just help support our sales efforts. Obviously the buck stops with me if there are any concerns from Realtors or builders as well as clients. I'm the chief problem solver, I guess."
How have plunging home valuations in other parts of the country affected sales and valuations of local houses?
"Overall I think our market stability is much stronger than most of America.... I think there's a mismatch between what buyers think they should get and what sellers want for their properties. I think that there has to be some realism on both sides."
You think that the local housing market will turn for the better once companies — including aircraft manufacturers — start hiring again, is that correct?
"That right there is going to lead the momentum."
