# Thomas (Tom) Priore

> Thomas (Tom) Priore is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Priority Commerce. With a background at PaineWebber, Guggenheim Securities and ICP Capital, he has led Priority’s expansion from payment processing into connected payments, banking and treasury services. In September 2026, an investor group he leads agreed to take Priority private, subject to closing conditions.

- **Role:** Co-founder, Chairman and CEO at Priority Commerce
- **Organizations:** Priority Commerce (Priority Technology Holdings, Inc.), ICP Capital / ICP Asset Management, Guggenheim Securities, PaineWebber
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, Harvard University, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Columbia University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Priority Commerce in 2005., Led Priority as CEO since December 2018., Expanded Priority’s capabilities through the 2021 acquisition of Finxera.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1999** — Spent eight years in fixed-income sales and trading at PaineWebber, rising to vice president.
- **1999-2003** — Established structured-finance trading and origination at Guggenheim Securities and managed fixed-income sales and trading.
- **Before full-time focus on Priority** — Founded ICP Capital; company biographies report more than $20 billion in assets under management.
- **2005** — Co-founded Priority in August and served as executive chairman.
- **2010** — SEC filed a civil case involving ICP, Priore and affiliated entities concerning management of CDOs.
- **2012** — Settled the SEC civil case without admitting or denying allegations; individual monetary orders totaled $1.5 million.
- **2015** — Consented to an SEC securities-industry bar with a right to apply for reentry after five years.
- **2018** — Became Priority CEO in December, succeeding brother John in the role.
- **2021** — Priority completed its acquisition of Finxera on September 17.
- **2026** — Led investor group in definitive agreement announced September 21 to take Priority private; expected closing in H1 2027 is conditional.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Priority Commerce in 2005.
- Led Priority as CEO since December 2018.
- Expanded Priority’s capabilities through the 2021 acquisition of Finxera.
- Priority’s executive biography identifies it as the fifth-largest non-bank U.S. merchant acquirer by volume.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — October 13: Priority announced a multiyear agreement with Rally to administer NIL payments using GameTime for the organization serving Notre Dame student-athletes.
- **2026-09** — September 21: announced definitive take-private agreement led by Priore’s investor group at $8.05 per share for remaining shares, approximately $1.6 billion enterprise value; conditional closing expected H1 2027.
- **2026-08** — August 26: Priority announced an agreement to acquire IntelliPay and establish Priority Commerce Government.
- **2026-08** — August 25: Priority announced a multiyear ticketing-payments and treasury partnership with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thomaspriore.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-priore-6513831bb/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/thomas-priore
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20