Faruk Daudbasic, Senior Vice President – Group Head & Director of Community Development
Faruk began his journey at First Eagle Bank as an intern while earning his undergraduate degree at Northeastern Illinois University. He joined the bank full-time in 2005 as a Credit Analyst, quickly advanced to Lending Officer, and now leads as Senior Vice President and Group Head, overseeing a significant commercial loan portfolio and the underwriting team.
A seasoned commercial lender, Faruk specializes in structuring financing solutions tailored to business clients, real estate investors, and developers—including commercial real estate, construction, SBA financing, and CDFI-driven community development loans.
Faruk champions First Eagle’s community mission. As the Bank's primary liaison for community development, he has been instrumental in the Bank’s ongoing CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) efforts—efforts recognized via consistent outstanding CRA ratings, CDFI certification since 2010, and meaningful partnerships with many reputable community development organizations in Chicagoland.
Faruk serves on the Board of Directors for Neighborhood Lending Services—a lending arm of NHS Chicago—and has previously supported organizations such as Facing Forward to End Homelessness.
Academically, Faruk holds an MBA in Finance and Real Estate from Roosevelt University. He has also completed executive education at Chicago Booth. A licensed real estate broker, he gives back to academia as an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern Illinois University, teaching Real Estate Finance & Investment.