USAA Vice President of Consumer Lending Mark Pregmon aims to lead his team with humility and a servant leadership mindset while trying to pass down knowledge to his employees.
Pregmon builds a positive work environment that encourages a balance between work and home life, he told Auto Finance News. He said he aims to pass on his leadership style and the lessons he has learned in his more than 30 years of experience.
“I’m giving back the blessings I’ve had over my career,” he said. “That’s your legacy, and you want to leave a good legacy.”
Pregmon has held his current position at USAA since August 2019. He is responsible for underwriting, servicing and default management for consumer lending products, according to LinkedIn. Before USAA, Pregmon served in executive vice president roles at PNC and SunTrust Banks.
In 2023, USAA recorded about a 15% year-over-year increase growth in auto production, Pregmon previously told AFN. USAA had $18.4 billion in auto outstandings as of June 30, 2023, up 16.4% YoY, according to a Moody’s presale report of the financier’s 2023 auto asset-backed securitization transaction.
AFN spoke with Pregmon about his career, his approach to leadership and his thoughts on trends in the auto finance industry. What follows is an edited version of the conversation.
Auto Finance News: What is USAA’s company goal in 10 words or less?
Mark Pregmon: Improve the member experience to where the member sells USAA word of mouth.
AFN: What do you think is the most underrated lending trend?
MP: I would say in the industry it’s buy now pay later (BNPL) in retail shopping. With BNPL, we’re trying to figure out what’s the impact on the consumer. We’re seeing that consumers are carrying a lot of BNPL tradelines that are not in the credit bureau. When I’m calculating the debt ratio, I’m not seeing consumers’ true outflows. Consumers can buy two Peloton bikes and be paying $36 a month, which I can’t see.
I say underrated as it’s something to watch because BNPL is new. Lenders must ask themselves: What does BNPL do to the consumer and their debt load when we go through recession? What’s the impact on those who finance cars when they have BNPL buildup? The industry is working on tracking that.
AFN: What is your favorite piece of leadership advice ever received?
MP: Have humble and servant leadership; that’s really what it’s about. Don’t ask employees to do something you couldn’t do or wouldn’t do yourself. Also to lead from the front. I’ve learned that I could apply both of those things at home in my life and at work.
AFN: Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
MP: I’ve had the blessing of several mentors, whether I worked for them or they’re in the industry. I have too many to name, but mentorship is something you have to seek and desire. You can’t force reluctant mentor relations; you have to have good chemistry. I’ve been blessed to have that throughout the early stages and now later stages of my career.
I find myself as I’m 30-plus years in, I’m mentoring. I’ve got four leaders at USAA that I’m mentoring right now.
AFN: What’s something your employees would be surprised to learn about you?
MP: I used to repo cars. Back in the good old days, I started as an underwriter and then went into collections. That’s back before banks outsourced it, and we were knocking on doors to collect payments or repos.
— Additional reporting by Amanda Harris
