Behind the evolution: Creating digital banking that works for you.
In honor of our 25th anniversary, we sat down with Brian Swanson, President of Consumer Banking at Axos, to explore how his team transforms customer feedback into meaningful innovation—and why banking should feel less like a transaction and more like a partnership.
Brian brings 23 years of financial services expertise to his current role, but it's his approach to banking that sets him apart. Before joining Axos in 2010, he pioneered Bank of America's consumer-direct home purchase team. Since then, he's built and scaled businesses across lending and deposits.
Heading Axos' Consumer Banking division since 2018, Brian leads with a simple philosophy: banking should work for people, not the other way around.
"When we think of how to make the everyday banking experience better for our clients, we think about what their biggest challenges are and how we can eliminate them," Brian shares. His team has identified three critical pain points that consistently surface in the banking industry:
Hidden fees. Nobody likes financial surprises, especially when they come with a minus sign.
Bad customer service. You deserve to get your questions and problems addressed quickly, so you can go about your day.
Technology stuck in the past. Your banking app shouldn't feel like an escape room.
For Brian, the solution is simple: Banking should be convenient, transparent, and frictionless.
"We continuously refine experiences that empower our customers, freeing them to focus on everyday life while feeling confident about their financial health."
This vision drives every decision his team makes. Without traditional bank overhead, Axos operates lean—and passes those savings directly to customers through fee-free products and competitive rates.
But eliminating fees is just the beginning. Brian's team leverages AI and automation to streamline routine tasks while ensuring human expertise is available exactly when you need it. They're building a sophisticated digital ecosystem that anticipates your needs rather than reacting to them.
"We often have ideas about what challenges our customers face, but we take a methodical approach to developing solutions," Brian explains. Here's how his team turns insights into action:
They follow the data. "When we launch a product or platform feature, we establish projected impact metrics. If we don't deliver to our client's expectations, we dive deep into understanding their challenges and improvement opportunities." It's constant evolution, not occasional updates.
They actually listen. The team regularly connects with customers to understand their experience—because sometimes the best insights come from simply asking.
Brian's team doesn't just collect feedback—they act on it. Take onboarding, for instance. When metrics revealed that customers struggled with funding new accounts and setting up direct deposits, the team answered with a new and improved process.
The result? A streamlined onboarding workflow that eliminated friction points and made getting started intuitive. Since implementing these improvements, both direct deposit adoption and account funding rates have increased substantially.
Brian sees banking evolving into something more integrated and intelligent. Customers want a single, trusted destination for their entire financial life—from daily transactions to long-term investments—enhanced with personalized insights that simplify decision-making.
"Portability matters too; people can switch providers in minutes, so the experience must earn loyalty every day."
That's why Axos continues iterating toward a future where integrated products and tailored recommendations work seamlessly together, personalized and powered by technology that actually makes life easier.
Because here, we believe banking isn't just about managing money—it's about enabling the life you want to live.