Thomas Denny Sanford

Thomas Denny Sanford is a South Dakota businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and owner of First Premier Bank and the chairman and chief executive officer of its bank holding company, United National Corporation.

  • T. Denny Sanford owns First Premier Bank, which specializes in offering credit cards to high-risk borrowers.
  • The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, bank has just 17 branches, but is one of the largest issuers of Mastercards – many with steep rates and low limits.
  • An active philanthropist, Sanford says he wants to die broke. But he faces a rare problem: He says he can’t get rid of his fortune fast enough.
  • Thanks to hefty dividends from First Premier, Sanford is no closer to bankruptcy than when he began, despite giving more than $1.6 billion to charity.

 

First Premier Bank Thomas Denny Sanford