Connected by People and Purpose

At CardWorks, we aim to help people connect with possibility and opportunity using our financial servicing expertise. Building meaningful, long-term relationships with consumers, our employees, and our clients is what matters most.

CardWorks, Inc. is a diversified consumer finance service provider and parent company of CardWorks Servicing, LLC, Merrick Bank and Carson Smithfield, LLC.

  • Merrick Bank: Merrick Bank was founded in 1997 and specializes in assisting people looking to build or rebuild their credit. It now serves nearly 3 million cardholders and has extended nearly $6 billion in credit.
  • CardWorks Servicing, LLC: CardWorks Servicing, LLC was founded in 1987 to provide servicing, operational support, and portfolio management to credit card and installment loan issuers and acquirers.
  • Carson Smithfield, LLC: Carson Smithfield, LLC is a third-party collection agency dedicated exclusively to handling third-party recovery collections service. Carson Smithfield is licensed as required to collect nationwide.
  • Dataline Systems, LLC: Dataline Systems, LLC became a wholly-owned subsidiary of CardWorks Servicing, LLC in 2023 to empower our clients through partnership, innovation and automation. Dataline supplements CardWorks’ offerings with the Payment Disbursement Services product. This is a platform for financial institutions to distribute recurring or one-time payments via electronic transactions (ACH or Biller Payments) or paper checks.

The contributions of these companies combine to give CardWorks an impressive set of credentials, making CardWorks a company you can trust and rely on to help you achieve your financial goals. Partner with us and see the possibilities.

“Do the right thing. Always and all ways.”

— Don Berman, Founder & Executive Chairman

Meet Our Executives

Don Berman

Don Berman

Founder & Executive Chairman
CardWorks, Inc.

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Don Berman

Don Berman

Founder & Executive Chairman
CardWorks, Inc.

Donald M. Berman is the Founder and Executive Chairman of CardWorks, Inc. (stepping aside as CEO in October 2021), the parent company of CardWorks Servicing, Merrick Bank, and Carson Smithfield.

Don, as sole founder, has grown CardWorks (established in 1987) into the largest privately held provider of end-to-end operational servicing and support functions for credit card and installment loan products in North America. In 1997, under Don’s leadership, CardWorks founded Merrick Bank, a Utah-based FDIC-insured industrial bank which has become a top-15 credit card issuer in the VISA®/Mastercard® networks; market leader in the non-prime loan market for recreational RVs, boats, trailers, and off-road vehicles; and top-15 merchant acquirer.

One of the earliest proponents of secured cards (the precursor to today’s non-prime card market), Don is widely known and respected in the consumer finance space, recognized as an industry expert in servicing, marketing, account management, co-branding, partnerships, affinity relationships, and M&A. Don has been instrumental in bringing major banking and non-banking firms into the credit card business, and an influential figure in the financial industry and its evolution over the past three decades.

Prior to founding CardWorks, Don was a senior marketing executive with Eastern States Bankcard Association (1982-1986). During the early years at CardWorks Servicing, he also served as an industry consultant, and later as Vice President, for Smith Barney Investment Bank (1989-1991) in the Financial Institutions Group.

Dan Pillemer

Dan Pillemer

President, Chief Executive Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

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Dan Pillemer

Dan Pillemer

President, Chief Executive Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

Daniel J. Pillemer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CardWorks Inc., the parent company of Merrick Bank, CardWorks Servicing, and Carson Smithfield.  He serves on the boards of directors of each of the four entities.

Dan was named CEO in 2021, after serving as President for six years.  Dan joined CardWorks in 2015, after 14 years of partnership with Don Berman and CardWorks in a variety of transactions.

Prior to CardWorks, Dan was Founder, Chairman and CEO of Kilowatt Financial, one of the earliest clean energy consumer finance companies, delivering solar PPAs, solar leases, solar loans, energy efficiency loans and PACE financing through contractors across the US.

Prior to Kilowatt, Dan founded and ran FG Companies, a consumer finance merchant banking firm that advised on $1.5 billion in completed buyside transactions, raised over $1.2 billion in capital for consumer finance companies, sold over $10 billion face value of assets, and was involved in the creation of multiple successful consumer finance businesses.

Prior to FG, Dan was a principal investor at Goldman Sachs, where he served as a member of the investment committee of the US Special Situations Group, and was responsible for asset, credit and private equity investments in consumer finance assets, originators and other illiquid asset classes.

Dan holds a BSc(Hons) in Pure Mathematics from the University of New South Wales, Australia.  Dan lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Louis Mrachek

Louis Mrachek

Head of Lending
Merrick Bank

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Louis Mrachek

Louis Mrachek

Head of Lending
Merrick Bank

Louis Mrachek is Executive Vice President and Head of Lending at Merrick Bank and one of the nine Organizational Area Leaders who comprise the executive team at CardWorks.

As Head of Lending, Louis’ primary mission is to drive strong, responsible growth while managing risk and ensuring compliance. He oversees Merrick Bank’s core Lending business lines with a focus on providing exceptional value to Merrick Bank’s customers through execution and innovation. Louis and his team are responsible for the full range of Lending activity including Credit Cards, Recreation Lending, and other products.  Prior to leading Lending, Louis oversaw the Bank’s Analytics and Data Science efforts.

Louis’ career has been mainly in financial services, where he has had roles in risk, operations, product, marketing, analytics, and business development. He served as Chief Credit Officer at Community Investment Management, a social impact focused private credit fund, where he was responsible for new investment evaluation, portfolio risk management, and credit monitoring. Prior to that, Louis held leadership roles at Aura Financial (a Community Development Financial Institution), HSBC, and Capital One.

 Louis holds a Bachelor of Science in economics from Duke University.

Greg Linakis

Greg Linakis

Head of Merchant
CardWorks, Inc.

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Greg Linakis

Greg Linakis

Head of Merchant
CardWorks, Inc.

Greg Linakis is Executive Vice President and Head of Merrick Bank’s Merchant Acquiring Business, one of the three lines of business at CardWorks, Inc. He is also a member of the Executive Council.

In this role, Greg is responsible for developing and executing strategic priorities for the business, which includes expanding into new markets and creating new partnership opportunities. Greg and his team are focused on providing clients with personalized, flexible, and custom programs and solutions and differentiated risk management services designed to help build and expand their portfolios; making Merrick Bank a top-10 credit card and merchant acquirer, processing over $50 billion in transaction volume per year for more than 100,000 merchants and 40 Independent Sales Organizations.

Greg joined CardWorks in 2005 with deep experience in the credit card business. A veteran of JPMorgan Chase & Co., he ran their Subprime Credit Card Lending Business, in addition to holding senior positions in Marketing and Credit Risk Policy. He also ran Berkshire Hathaway’s credit card subsidiary, bringing to market the GEICO Platinum MasterCard and Pampered Chef Visa Card.

Greg earned a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University, an MBA in Finance from Hofstra University, and completed a two-year program studying Information Systems at Columbia University.

Matt Berman

Matt Berman

Head of Servicing
CardWorks Servicing, LLC

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Matt Berman

Matt Berman

Head of Servicing
CardWorks Servicing, LLC

Matthew Berman is Executive Vice President and Head of CardWorks Servicing, LLC, one of the three lines of business at CardWorks, Inc. He is also a member of the Executive Council.

In this role, Matt is responsible for leading the company’s Business Development and Client Relationship Management teams and providing flexible, customized, end-to-end operational servicing solutions for CardWorks’ clients and customers.

Throughout his career at CardWorks and its subsidiaries, Matt has served in various roles in operations, business, development, strategic partnerships, sales, and corporate strategy.

Matt received a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College.

Fabienne Gimenez

Fabienne Gimenez

Chief Operating Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

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Fabienne Gimenez

Fabienne Gimenez

Chief Operating Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

Fabienne Gimenez is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at CardWorks, Inc. She is also a member of the Executive Council.

Under Fabienne’s leadership, Operations includes all customer-facing functional areas, as well as the operations middle and back-office functions including the first line of defense. She also oversees the company’s social media efforts, including customer interaction through those channels. In everything, her focus at CardWorks is to strengthen and scale the organization while remaining highly compliant and providing an engaging customer experience.

Before joining CardWorks, Fabienne held senior and executive positions at a range of Fortune 500 companies, in roles related to both business operations and corporate strategy & development. Fabienne started her career in France in the venture capital space and spent time early in her career in Egypt, where she focused on providing microloans to women in the Middle East.

Fabienne was part of the executive program in investment appraisal and management at Harvard Institute for International Development and holds an MBA and postgraduate degree in banking and finance from the University of Toulouse, France.

Chris Corrado

Chris Corrado

Chief Information Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

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Chris Corrado

Chris Corrado

Chief Information Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

Chris Corrado is Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for CardWorks, Inc. He is also a member of the Executive Council.

As CIO, Chris is responsible for leading all Data, Technology & Digital (“DTD”) initiatives and ensuring that the strategies, processes, infrastructure, and operational systems underpinning our systems and data are supporting the company’s goals and operational needs. Under his leadership, his team is focused on executing the DTD strategy to drive the implementation of innovative technologies, advanced product and service innovation and business growth through digital transformation.

With an enduring commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) at CardWorks, Chris is Executive Sponsor of the African, Black American and Caribbean (ABAC) Employee Resource Group (ERG).

Earlier in his career, Chris served as Managing Director, CIO and/or CTO roles at MSCI, UBS, Asurion, eBay, AT&T Wireless, Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, and Morgan Stanley. During this time, he led transformative initiatives such as recovering Merrill Lynch businesses from the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center buildings; helping to pioneer the introduction of smart mobile phones at AT&T Wireless; and growing a startup company by over 10-fold in value in less than 10 years.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and Business Administration from the State University of New York at Albany.

 

Rick Lake

Rick Lake

President
Merrick Bank

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Rick Lake

Rick Lake

President
Merrick Bank

Rick Lake is President and Chief Executive Officer at Merrick Bank. He is also a member of the Executive Council for Merrick Bank Corporation’s parent company, CardWorks, Inc.

Since its founding in 1997 as an FDIC-insured Utah Industrial Loan Bank, Merrick Bank is now recognized as a top-15 credit card issuer and top-15 merchant acquirer in the U.S., serving nearly 3 million cardholders and extending nearly $6 billion in credit; and a leading consumer finance provider to marine, RV, powersports, and horse trailer dealers throughout the country.

A financial services veteran with over 40 years of experience, Rick is responsible for all aspects of Merrick Bank’s operations and procedures and the overall direction and administration of its programs, products, and services, including the bank’s financial performance, credit quality, business development, regulatory compliance, and risk management.

Rick has been with Merrick Bank since 2013. Prior to this, Rick served in several senior leadership roles in the banking industry, including President & CEO for both CIT Bank and The Pitney Bowes Bank; and Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for Merrill Lynch National Financial and Citibank. A licensed Certified Public Accountant, he was also the Assistant Dean of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, his alma mater, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Laurie Bigman

Laurie Bigman

General Counsel
CardWorks, Inc.

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Laurie Bigman

Laurie Bigman

General Counsel
CardWorks, Inc.

Laurie Bigman joined CardWorks, Inc. in 2015. She is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary and the Organizational Area Leader for Legal. she has more than 30 years of experience focused on consumer credit and regulatory compliance, including having served as Chief Compliance Officer for a bank. She also provides legal advice to and serves as Secretary of the Boards of CardWorks, Inc., CardWorks Servicing, Carson Smithfield, LLC, and CWI Board Committees.

As General Counsel,  Laurie manages the Legal Team and is responsible for mitigating legal risk. She and her team provide guidance to the Board of Directors, senior management, and staff at all levels of the organization. Laurie serves on many committees and leadership teams, including the Executive Council, the Working 2021 Governance Team, the Third-Party Risk Management, Business Continuity, and Information Security Committees.

Before joining CardWorks, Laurie worked in a variety of legal and compliance roles at large and small banks, including Citibank, Capital One, Emigrant, GreenPoint, and North Fork.  she earned a B.A. from Brandeis University, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Laurie is an active member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and New York State Bar Association’s Business Law, Corporate Counsel, and Women in the Law Sections.

Ken Caruso

Ken Caruso

Chief People Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

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Ken Caruso

Ken Caruso

Chief People Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

Ken Caruso is Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at CardWorks, Inc. He is also a member of the Executive Committee.

As the head of Human Resources, Ken oversees the Talent Acquisition, Benefits & Compensation, HR Business Partner & Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Communications, and Culture & Corporate Social Responsibility teams, and their related activities across the organization.

Ken has built his experience over nearly 30 years in HR, during which he has held executive roles across a wide array of financial services and payments organizations, among others, and developed a deep understanding of how to define a robust and rewarding employee value proposition, and execute holistic HR agendas focused on organizational effectiveness, talent, culture, and engagement.

Before CardWorks, Inc., Ken served as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at QBE North America, where he led the Human Resources Business Partner function for the North American business, covering 4,000 employees and $5 billion in revenue. Prior to QBE, Ken held senior HR roles at S&P Capital IQ, The McGraw-Hill Companies, MasterCard, Citigroup, and Allied Signal (now Honeywell). He began his career as a Senior Consultant in the Change Management practice at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).

Ken holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations with a concentration in Human Resources from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Chris Wymbs

Chris Wymbs

Chief Financial Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

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Chris Wymbs

Chris Wymbs

Chief Financial Officer
CardWorks, Inc.

Chris Wymbs is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at CardWorks, Inc. He is also a member of the Executive Council and a Director on two of the Company’s subsidiary boards.

As CFO, Chris is responsible for all aspects of financial operations, corporate strategy, real estate & facilities, and project management, serving an important role in developing the strategic direction of the enterprise and representing the company to the financial community and our investors.

With an enduring commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at CardWorks, Chris is Executive Sponsor of and active participant in our Employee Resource Groups.

Prior to joining CardWorks in 2021, Chris was Executive Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at AMC Networks Inc., a publicly traded global media company. There, he played a key role in leading the company thorough significant transformation into the digital streaming world. Before his time at AMC, Chris was Chief Financial Officer, Global Commercial services for American Express in addition to various other finance leadership roles; Global Controller for GE Consumer Finance; and started his career in Financial Advisory & Assurance services at EY.

Chris earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Fordham University and an Masters of Business Administration in Management from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Chris and his spouse, along with their three children, live in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Our Guiding Principles

At CardWorks, employees strive to live by a set of Guiding Principles and CRITICAL values that include acting ethically in all interactions, demonstrating the courage to do the right things and displaying integrity in dealings with clients and with each other.

  1. Do the Right Thing
  2. Customer First; Always Go the Extra Mile
  3. Knowledgeable People + Leading Technology = Success
  4. Actions Create Opportunities
  5. Earn, Learn, and Have Fun

Our CRITICAL Values

Our CRITICAL values are a winning formula that makes CardWorks both a great company and a great place to work. C.R.I.T.I.C.A.L. is an acronym that stands for:

I follow through to fulfill my obligations and deliver on my commitments to my team, our customers, our clients, and myself.

I hold myself to a high standard of contribution in my work.

I uphold the CRITICAL Values and Guiding Principles and am regularly focused on making our organization a better place.

I treat others the way I would like to be treated – as a person of value, deserving dignity, appreciation and empathy.

I respect the diverse backgrounds, experiences, talents, skills, and differing points of view of others.

I do not tolerate bias or discrimination of any kind, and speak up when I see it.

I do the right thing, whether others are watching or not, and always tell the truth.

I lead by example, demonstrate courage and match my actions to my words.

I identify as part of a team striving to achieve common goals.

I work collaboratively with all teammates to achieve our shared objectives, and provide assistance wherever possible.

I embrace change and new ideas with openness, optimism and energy.

I generate new ideas that can create value for our company, colleagues, customers, clients or the broader communities in which we operate.

I promote open, direct and constructive dialogue, and create psychological safety such that everyone can speak truthfully and without fear of consequence.

I listen to others with humility, appreciation, and an intent to understand diverse perspectives and ideas.

I take ownership of my words, actions, responsibilities, and behaviors.

I deliver on commitments and expect others to do the same.

I am curious, and work to expand my skills, capabilities and knowledge, both professionally and personally.

I promote a growth mindset over a fixed mindset, and believe in the value of learning for myself and others.

I encourage others at every level of the organization to deepen and broaden their skills and knowledge, and share what I know.

Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility

CardWorks has always believed that our success as an organization is built upon our people. This perspective is embedded into each of our CRITICAL Values and Guiding Principles. It informs every aspect of who we are and how we work day-to-day. And importantly, it extends even beyond our own office walls, motivating us to demonstrate a strong sense of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

CSR is about how we engage with our neighbors and communities on issues that matter to us – as an organization and as individuals. It compels us to contribute our time, talent and charitable resources in measurable and meaningful ways. And to “do something”’ that creates positive impact in our outside world.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At CardWorks, we foster an environment where people are explicitly valued as our most important asset …and appreciating the energies and talents our employees bring to work every day. We have an enduring commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) across our teams and worksites.

Understanding this, we seek to create—by our words and through our actions—an organizational culture that are is defined by our CRITICAL Values and Guiding Principles, and which proactively and passionately demonstrates our enduring commitment to DE&I. This begins by respecting each individual’s unique background, perspective and life experience, and by giving us each a voice.

We want all employees to say confidently, “I feel welcomed! I feel included! I am valued for my whole self!”