He is a graduate of Southern Methodist University. He purchased his first bank in 1975 for only $1.2 million. He eventually sold that bank for $80 million. Ford served as the Chairman and CEO of the fourth largest bank in California, Golden State Bancorp, Inc based in San Francisco. He sold this bank to Citigroup in 2002 for $6 billion with his partner, Ron Perelman. Currently, Gerald serves as the Chairman of Hilltop Holdings, an insurance company and bank, and the Managing Director of Ford Financial Fund. He also sits on the Board of Freeport-McMoRan, the world's leading extractor of gold and copper. In addition to his massive fortune, Ford also has interests in various corporations, including Pacific Capital Bancorp, Rio Hondo Land & Cattle Company, Golden State Bancorp, Diamond Ford Dallas, First Acceptance Corporation, AmeriCredit, American Residential Cmnts LLC, Scientific Games Corp and SWS Group. Lately. He sold his 76% stake in Pacific Capital Bancorp to Mitsubishi UFJ, the largest bank in Japan, for $1.15 billion. Ford is a great philanthropist sitting on many trustees and committee boards. The Ford family has residential properties in Manhattan, Dallas and the Hamptons, and they also own a thoroughbred farm in Kentucky.
