Portrait of T. Denny Sanford

Rank #1730

T. Denny Sanford

Net worth $2.4B

Banking, credit cards · United States

Born
Dec 23, 1935
Age
90
Source
Banking, credit cards
Residence
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Citizenship
United States
Marital status
Divorced
Children
2
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Minnesota

Net worth over time

Biography

  • T. Denny Sanford owns First Premier Bank, which specializes in offering credit cards to high-risk borrowers.
  • The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, bank has just 18 branches, but is one of the largest issuers of Mastercards - many with steep rates and low limits.
  • An active philanthropist, Sanford says he wants to die broke. To do that he'd have to give away his most valuable asset, First Premier.
  • Sanford was previously investigated for child pornography after photos of nude underage girls were discovered in his email.
  • The investigation was closed and charges were never brought. Sanford said his email was hacked.
  • Sanford has given more than $1 billion to Sanford Health, a group of 43 nonprofit hospitals formerly called the Sioux Valley Health System.
  • Sanford's children's education initiatives include one for young boys and girls which he hopes will cut America's divorce rate by 50% in the next 50 years.