Don Hankey
#441

Don Hankey

United States 83 years old Self-Made

Overview

Source of Wealth
Auto loans
Residence
Malibu, California
Organization
Chairman at Hankey Group
Education
University of Southern California (Bachelor of Arts/Science)
Marital Status
Married
Children
4

Biography

The little-known king of subprime car loans, Don Hankey presides over the $30 billion (assets) Hankey Group, a Los Angeles-based auto services empire.

His Westlake Financial Services works with more than 50,000 car dealerships in all 50 states to provide car loans to people with bad, or no, credit.

The Hankey Group also includes a real estate firm and a Toyota dealership, plus auto insurance, rental car and dealer software companies.

As a teen Hankey worked as a lot boy, washing and polishing cars, and then as a salesman at his father's Los Angeles Ford dealership.

In 1972 he bought control of the dealership and began extending loans to people with poor credit. The business took off and is now his biggest asset.

About

The returns-obsessed Hankey has a strict rule for each of his businesses: achieve a 30% pretax return on equity and 20% revenue growth annually.

To make money, Hankey even regularly rents out his Malibu beach house for filming commercials, TV shows and movies, including CSI: Miami and Charlie's Angels.