Finance Fortunes: Niche Loans, Venture Capital, Banking, Bonds

Fortunes from finance link several of Orange County’s wealthiest.

Some are specialty lenders who have built and sold companies, including Richard John “R.J.” Brandes and Roger Kirwan.

Others have started and grown Banks and thrifts, such as Maurice McAlister of Downey financial Corp. and Larry Dodge of American Sterling Bank.

Then there are investors such as Bob Hoff of Crosspoint Venture Partners and Chuck Martin of Mont Pelerin Capital LLC, who have grown rich placing bets on startups and other companies.

Finance hasn’t created the epic fortunes here that real estate and technology have. But the sector claims at least one billionaire: Bill Gross of Pacific Investment Management Co.

Gross led the formation of bond fund manager Pimco in 1971 as part of what’s now Newport Beach-based Pacific life insurance Co.

Pimco now manages $700 billion in money from institutions and other investors.

At one point, Gross is believed to have earned $1 million a quarter in salary and dividends.

In 2000, Germany’s Allianz AG bought Pimco for $3.3 billion, earning Gross a reported $400 million.

Allianz then offered him a $200 million, five-year contract to stay on.

In 2005 and again in May, Allianz renewed Gross’ contract for undisclosed terms.

Another Pimco cofounder, William Podlich, is estimated to be among the county’s centimillionaires.

Podlich was chief executive until 1993 and serves as a consulting managing director.

In lending, financier Kirwan has made a career out of tapping niches.

In 1980, he started Ganis Credit Corp., which made loans to buyers of recreational vehicles and boats. He sold it to BankBoston in 1995. The company later traded hands to Deutsche Bank AG and E-Trade financial Corp. before becoming part of General Electric Co.’s GE Money.

Kirwan stayed with Ganis until about 2000, when he left to focus on philanthropy, including serving as head of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

He helped the center issue tax-exempt bonds to pay for construction of the Ren