BankUnited names James Mackey as next CFO in leadership transition

MIAMI LAKES - BankUnited Inc. (NYSE:BKU), a $2.91 billion market cap bank rated "GOOD" by InvestingPro’s Financial Health Score, announced Wednesday that James G. Mackey will join the company as senior executive vice president on August 15, 2025, before assuming the role of chief financial officer on November 1, 2025.

Mackey will succeed Leslie Lunak, who plans to retire on January 1, 2026, after serving as CFO since 2013 and spending 15 years with the company.

The incoming CFO most recently served as CFO for Wells Fargo’s consumer lending division. His previous experience includes CFO positions at Freddie Mac and Ally Financial, as well as divisional CFO roles at Bank of America.

During his tenure at Wells Fargo, Mackey led finance teams supporting strategic reviews to optimize earnings and minimize operational risk. At Freddie Mac, he helped guide an enterprise-wide transformation to modernize the institution, while at Ally Financial, he assisted in transforming the company into a digital bank.

Lunak joined BankUnited in 2010 and became CFO in 2013. During her leadership, the bank’s total assets grew from $12 billion to over $35 billion, while maintaining consistent dividend payments for 15 consecutive years. She led initiatives to strengthen the bank’s capital position, implemented new credit loss accounting standards, and guided cost-saving measures. According to InvestingPro, the bank currently shows strong financial metrics with revenue growth of 11.13% and a P/E ratio of 11.99.

"As an integral member of our C-suite management team, Leslie has made many significant and lasting contributions that have helped to transform BankUnited into a leading national commercial bank," said Rajinder P. Singh, BankUnited’s chairman, president and CEO, in a press release statement.

BankUnited, with total assets of $35.5 billion as of June 30, 2025, operates in Florida, New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Morristown, New Jersey, and Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank offers shareholders a 3.2% dividend yield and has demonstrated strong recent performance. For deeper insights into BankUnited’s financials and exclusive analysis, access the comprehensive Pro Research Report available on InvestingPro.

In other recent news, BankUnited announced its expansion into the Charlotte, North Carolina market by appointing three new executives in corporate banking and commercial real estate. This move adds to the company’s southeastern presence, which already includes operations in cities like Atlanta and Dallas. Meanwhile, Citi raised its price target for BankUnited to $38, maintaining a Neutral rating, as they adjusted their model in anticipation of the company’s upcoming earnings report. Jefferies began coverage on BankUnited with a Hold rating and a $39 price target, noting positive developments in non-interest-bearing deposits and potential net interest margin expansion.

RBC Capital Markets adjusted its price target for BankUnited to $40 from $42, maintaining a Sector Perform rating. Despite lower revenues in the first quarter, RBC noted that better-than-expected provisions and lower expenses balanced the results. BankUnited’s management continues to expect solid core commercial loan growth, and positive changes in funding are anticipated to enhance margins. Goldman Sachs maintained a Sell rating with a $38 target, citing a mixed quarter for BankUnited. Despite better expense control, the bank faced a shortfall in pre-provision net revenue due to misses in net interest income and net interest margin.

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