# CJ Johnson

> CJ Johnson is president and CEO of Mechanics Bank and Mechanics Bancorp and a partner at Ford Financial Fund. His career spans Credit Suisse, Flexpoint Ford, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and Mechanics, where he helped execute an acquisition strategy before becoming permanent CEO in January 2025. He also chairs Richmond Housing Renovation and received the National Diversity Coalition’s 2025 Bob Gnaizda Giraffe Award.

- **Role:** President and Chief Executive Officer at Mechanics Bank and Mechanics Bancorp
- **Organizations:** Mechanics Bank, Mechanics Bancorp, Ford Financial Fund, Richmond Housing Renovation, LLC, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Flexpoint Ford, Credit Suisse
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics, highest distinction and honors, University of Michigan
- **Known for:** Recipient of the Harold D. Osterweil Memorial Prize in economics at the University of Michigan., Helped execute the acquisition strategy behind Mechanics Bank’s growth from $3 billion in assets in 2015 to nearly $17 billion at January 2025., Received the National Diversity Coalition’s 2025 Bob Gnaizda Giraffe Award, presented by Sheila Bair.

## Career timeline

- **2005–2008** — Worked as an investment banking analyst covering banks; began his career at Credit Suisse.
- **2008** — Joined the Ford group; his career also included Flexpoint Ford.
- **2010** — Joined Santa Barbara Bank & Trust; served as senior vice president and director of financial planning.
- **2012** — Santa Barbara Bank & Trust was sold in December.
- **Before February 2024** — Served as Mechanics Bank chief financial officer and executive committee member; became a Ford Financial Fund partner.
- **2024-02** — Became interim president and CEO of Mechanics Bank.
- **2025-01-13** — Named permanent president and CEO of Mechanics Bank.
- **2025-09-02** — Became president and CEO of Mechanics Bancorp at the HomeStreet merger closing.

## Achievements

- Recipient of the Harold D. Osterweil Memorial Prize in economics at the University of Michigan.
- Helped execute the acquisition strategy behind Mechanics Bank’s growth from $3 billion in assets in 2015 to nearly $17 billion at January 2025.
- Received the National Diversity Coalition’s 2025 Bob Gnaizda Giraffe Award, presented by Sheila Bair.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Mechanics announced the sale of approximately $417 million in performing runoff indirect auto loans to Bank of America’s trading desk; Johnson linked the sale to capital allocation, liquidity and risk reduction.
- **2026-07** — In second-quarter results, Johnson said the HomeStreet integration was substantially complete. Mechanics Bancorp reported $57.7 million net income and $21.2 billion total assets at June 30, 2026.
- **2025-10** — Mechanics expanded its Community Impact Goals with Rise Economy, with core goals through 2026 and selected investment goals through 2028.

## Links

- Website: https://www.mechanicsbank.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-johnson-42b7a985

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cj-johnson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24