<PAGE>

                                                               EXHIBIT 10.14.6

                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
                              --------------------


This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is entered into as of January 1, 
1998, by and between PACIFIC CREST CAPITAL, INC., a Delaware corporation 
(hereinafter referred to as "EMPLOYER") and JOSEPH FINCI (hereinafter 
referred to as "EMPLOYEE"), on the following terms and conditions:


     1.  TERM OF AGREEMENT; DUTIES
         
         (a)  TERM. EMPLOYER hereby agrees to employ EMPLOYEE  as the Senior 
Vice President of EMPLOYER for a two year period, commencing on the date 
hereof, and EMPLOYEE hereby agrees to accept such employment for such period, 
subject to earlier termination under the circumstances provided herein. The 
term of this Agreement shall be extended automatically to cover successive 
periods of one year each unless, at least one year prior to the end of the 
original or any renewal term hereof, EMPLOYEE gives written notice to the 
President of EMPLOYER, or EMPLOYER gives written notice to EMPLOYEE, of an 
intent to terminate this Agreement at the end of such term.

         (b)  DUTIES. EMPLOYEE, subject to the direction and control of the 
Board of Directors, shall devote all of EMPLOYEE'S productive time, attention 
and energies to discharging, and shall perform, such executive duties and 
managerial responsibilities as may from time to time be specified by 
EMPLOYER, and will use EMPLOYEE'S best efforts to promote the interest of 
EMPLOYER and its subsidiaries and affiliates and the performance of such 
duties and responsibilities shall be EMPLOYEE'S exclusive employment for 
compensation; provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be 
deemed to limit EMPLOYEE'S right to make passive investments in 
non-affiliated companies.

                                       1

<PAGE>

         (c)  EXTENSION OF TERM OF EMPLOYMENT UPON CERTAIN CORPORATE CHANGES. 
For purposes of this paragraph (c), "Extension Date" shall mean the effective 
date of a transaction pursuant to which (i) EMPLOYER ceases to be an 
independent publicly owned corporation, (ii) all or substantially all of the 
assets of EMPLOYER (including by not limited to the stock of EMPLOYER'S 
subsidiaries)are sold, (iii) all or substantially all of the assets, or a 
majority of the outstanding capital stock, of Pacific Crest Bank are sold to 
a purchaser which is not controlled by EMPLOYER, (iv) EMPLOYER is merged with 
or into another corporation which is to be the surviving corporation, or (v) 
a majority of the outstanding capital stock of EMPLOYER becomes owned or 
held, directly or indirectly, in such transaction or series of transactions 
by a person or entity other than EMPLOYER, its subsidiary or affiliate, or by 
a "group" as such term is defined in Rule 13 d-1 of the Securities and 
Exchange Act of 1934, which prior to such transaction or series of 
transactions did not include EMPLOYER, its subsidiaries or affiliates. 
Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Section 1, the term of employment 
hereunder shall automatically be extended on the first to occur of any 
Extension Date. On such Extension Date, the term of employment hereunder 
shall be extended to cover the two-year period commencing on such Extension 
Date.

     2.  COMPENSATION. EMPLOYER shall compensate EMPLOYEE for the services to 
be rendered by EMPLOYEE hereunder during the term of EMPLOYEE'S employment, 
including all services to be rendered as an officer and executive of 
EMPLOYER, its subsidiaries and affiliates, at an annual base rate to be 
determined from time to time, and in no event less frequently than annually, 
during the term of this Agreement as follows (the "Base Rate"):
 
         (a)  The Base Rate shall be $97,344 per year during the period from 
the date hereof through December 31, 1998; and

                                       2

<PAGE>

         (b)  The Base Rate for each subsequent calendar year or portion 
thereof during which this Agreement is in effect shall be no less than the 
Base Rate for the prior calendar year and may be increased at the sole 
discretion of the Board of Directors of EMPLOYER based on the performance of 
EMPLOYER and the individual merit of EMPLOYEE. 
 
         The applicable Base Rate shall be payable not less frequently than 
monthly in accordance with the regular salary procedure from time to time 
adopted by EMPLOYER. There shall be deducted from all compensation paid to 
EMPLOYEE such sums, including but not limited to Social Security, income tax 
withholding, employment insurance, and any and all other such deductions as 
EMPLOYER is by law obligated to withhold. Notwithstanding anything to the 
contrary contained herein, the salary of EMPLOYEE may be increased by the 
Board of Directors of EMPLOYER but shall, for any employment year covered by 
this Agreement, be at least at a Base Rate herein above set forth, plus any 
incentive arrangements to be determined by the Board of Directors.

         EMPLOYEE shall be reimbursed for EMPLOYEE'S reasonable and actual 
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by EMPLOYEE  in performance of EMPLOYEE'S 
duties and responsibilities hereunder, provided EMPLOYEE shall first furnish 
proper vouchers and expense accounts setting for the information required by 
the United States Treasury Department for deductible business expenses. 

         EMPLOYEE shall be entitled to participate in and shall be included 
in such insurance, pension, profit sharing, stock options, stock purchase and 
other employee benefit plans ("Benefit Plans") of EMPLOYER as are in effect 
from time to time during the term of this Agreement for other employees of 
EMPLOYER who are employed by EMPLOYER in similar executive capacities as 
EMPLOYEE; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall in any way 
require EMPLOYEE to be covered by any Benefit Plan if EMPLOYEE'S 
participation is not required by the terms of the Benefit Plan.

                                       3

<PAGE>

     3.  DISABILITY. If, on account of any physical or mental disability, 
EMPLOYEE shall fail or be unable to perform under this Agreement for any 
period of one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days or for an aggregate 
period of one hundred twenty (120) or more days during any consecutive 
twelve-month period, then and in that event EMPLOYER may, at its option, at 
any time thereafter, upon written notice to EMPLOYEE, terminate the employment 
relationship provided for in this Agreement. In such event, EMPLOYEE'S 
requirement to render services hereunder and EMPLOYER'S requirement to 
compensate EMPLOYEE hereunder shall terminate and come to an end upon the 
date such notice is given as if such date were the termination of this 
Agreement; provided, however, that if EMPLOYER terminates the employment 
relationship as a result of EMPLOYEE'S disability, then EMPLOYEE shall be 
entitled to receive, as disability compensation, payments at the Base Rate 
previously set forth for the remaining term of this Agreement payable not 
less frequently than monthly. The option to terminate the employment in the 
event of a disability herein provided is separate, distinct and additional 
to any right on the part of EMPLOYER to terminate this Agreement, as provided 
in Section 6 hereof. EMPLOYER may, at its option, apply for disability income 
insurance and, if so, any obligation on the part of EMPLOYER to pay EMPLOYEE  
any payments on account of any physical or mental disability of EMPLOYEE as 
specified above, shall be credited with the amount of any payments to 
EMPLOYEE under any such disability income policy but not any payments to 
EMPLOYEE under any state disability insurance.


     4.  DEATH. In the event that EMPLOYEE should die during the term hereof, 
this Agreement will terminate. In such event, EMPLOYEE'S personal 
representative shall be entitled to receive, as a death benefit, in addition 
any other payments which EMPLOYEE'S 

                                       4

<PAGE>

personal representative may be entitled to receive under any Benefit Plans, 
payments for a period of 12 months at the Base Rate that would have then been 
payable to EMPLOYEE under this AGreement payable not less frequently than 
monthly. 

     EMPLOYER may maintain life insurance on the life of EMPLOYEE, in favor 
of the EMPLOYER. EMPLOYEE shall have no interest whatsoever in any such 
policy or policies, except as otherwise provided in any split dollar life 
insurance agreements, but EMPLOYEE shall at the request of EMPLOYER submit to 
such medical examinations, supply such information, consent to such blood 
tests and execute such documents as may be required by the insurance company 
or companies to whom EMPLOYER has applied for such insurance.

     5.  VACATION. EMPLOYEE shall be entitled to vacation time for each 
calendar year during the term of this Agreement in accordance with EMPLOYER'S 
vacation policy for senior management executives from time to time in effect. 


     6.  TERMINATION FOR CAUSE. The EMPLOYER  shall have the unrestricted 
right to discharge the EMPLOYEE at any time for cause. Cause for discharge, 
to be determined in the EMPLOYER'S sole discretion, shall include, but shall 
not be limited to, theft or embezzlement by the EMPLOYEE from the EMPLOYER or 
its affiliates; fraud or other acts of dishonesty by the EMPLOYEE in the 
conduct of the EMPLOYER'S business or the fulfillment of EMPLOYEE'S assigned 
responsibilities hereunder; gross neglect by the EMPLOYEE of EMPLOYEE'S 
duties hereunder; the EMPLOYEE'S conviction of, or plea of NOLO CONTENDERE 
to, any felony or any crime involving moral turpitude; the EMPLOYEE'S failure 
to follow the lawful and reasonable instructions of the Board of Directors of 
EMPLOYER or the President; or any material breach by the EMPLOYEE of any term, 
provision or covenant of this Agreement. The occurrence of any event 
constituting cause for discharge shall permit but not require the 

                                       5

<PAGE>

EMPLOYER to terminate the EMPLOYEE  for cause; provided, however, that the 
EMPLOYER'S decision not to terminate the EMPLOYEE upon the occurrence of an 
event constituting cause for discharge shall not operate as a waiver of its 
rights provided in this Section 6 or otherwise. The decision to so terminate 
the EMPLOYEE, to impose lesser discipline, to take other action, or to take no 
action in response to any such occurrence shall be in the EMPLOYER'S sole and 
exclusive discretion. 

     If the EMPLOYER terminates the EMPLOYEE for cause, the EMPLOYER shall be 
obligated to provide to the EMPLOYEE only the Base Rate salary provided for 
in Section 2 through the date of termination of the EMPLOYEE at the rate in 
effect on the date of such termination of the EMPLOYEE. 


     7.  CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION; COMPETITION

         (a) EMPLOYEE acknowledges that, in the course of employment 
hereunder, EMPLOYEE has and will become acquainted with confidential 
information belonging to EMPLOYER. This information may relate to persons, 
firms and corporations which are or become customers or accounts of EMPLOYER 
or of a subsidiary or affiliate of EMPLOYER during the term of this 
Agreement. None of the confidential information which EMPLOYEE may have or 
may obtain prior to the termination of this Agreement shall be disclosed to 
any other person either before or after the termination of the Agreement 
without the prior written permission of EMPLOYER, except such disclosures as 
may be necessary to the performance by EMPLOYEE of EMPLOYEE'S duties 
hereunder or unless such information is a part of the public domain, is 
within the prior knowledge of any such other person or is published anywhere 
without EMPLOYEE'S fault.EMPLOYEE shall return all tangible evidence of all 
such confidential information to EMPLOYER prior to or at the termination of 
EMPLOYEE'S employment. 

                                       6

<PAGE>

         (b)  EMPLOYEE expressly covenants and agrees that for a period of 
two years after the date of termination of EMPLOYEE'S employment with 
EMPLOYER, EMPLOYEE will not, acting alone or in conjunction with others, 
directly or indirectly, solicit business of any type engaged in by EMPLOYER 
(or any subsidiary or affiliate of EMPLOYER) from any person or business 
which is an account, customer of client of EMPLOYER (or any subsidiary or 
affiliate of EMPLOYER), or induce or attempt to influence any such account, 
customer or client to curtail or cancel its business with EMPLOYER (or any 
subsidiary or affiliate of EMPLOYER).

         (c)  Because the remedy at law for any breach of the provisions of 
this Section 7 would be inadequate, EMPLOYEE hereby consents to the granting, 
by any court having jurisdiction and without the necessity of providing 
actual monetary loss, of an injunction or other equitable relief enjoining 
any breach of such provisions.

         (d)  EMPLOYEE and EMPLOYER recognize that the laws and public 
policies of the various states of the United States may differ as to the 
validity and enforceability of covenants and undertakings similar to those 
set forth in paragraph (b) of Section 7. It is the intention of EMPLOYER and 
EMPLOYEE that the provisions of paragraph (b) of Section 7 shall be enforced 
to the fullest extent permissible under the laws and public policies of each 
state and jurisdiction in which such enforcement is sought, and the 
unenforceability (or the modification to conform to such laws or public 
policies) of any provisions of such paragraph shall not render unenforceable, 
or impair, the remainder of the provisions of such paragraph. Accordingly, if 
any provisions of such paragraph shall be determined to be invalid or 
unenforceable, either in whole or in part, under the laws or public policies 
of any state or jurisdiction in which enforcement is sought, as to such state 
or jurisdiction the provisions of such paragraph shall be deemed amended to 
delete or modify, as necessary, the offending provision

                                       7

<PAGE>

and to alter the balance hereof in order to render it valid and enforceable 
in such state or jurisdiction.

         (e)  Notwithstanding any termination of EMPLOYEE'S employment, all 
of the covenants and agreements of EMPLOYEE under this Section 7 shall 
continue in full force and effect in accordance with the terms hereof, even 
if such termination is for cause pursuant to Section 6.


     8.  NOTICES. All notices, requests, demands and other communications 
provided for by this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have 
been given at the time delivered, if personally delivered, or twenty-four 
hours after deposit thereof for mailing at any general or branch United 
States Post Office enclosed in a registered or certified postpaid envelope 
and addressed to either EMPLOYER or EMPLOYEE as the case may be, at 30343 
Canwood Street, Agoura Hills, California 91301. The parties hereto may 
designate a different place at which notice shall be given provided, however, 
that any such notice of change of address shall be effective only upon 
receipt.

     9.  ENTIRE UNDERSTANDING. This Agreement sets forth the entire 
understanding of the parities hereto with respect to the subject matter 
hereof and no other representations, warranties or agreements whatsoever have 
been made to EMPLOYEE, except any such incentive arrangements as may be set 
forth in a written Bonus Plan applicable to EMPLOYEE. This agreement shall 
not be modified, amended, or terminated except by another instrument in 
writing executed by the parties hereto.

                                       8

<PAGE>

    10.  GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement and all rights, obligations and 
liabilities arising hereunder shall be construed and enforced in accordance 
with the laws of the State of California. 


    11.  ATTORNEY'S FEES. In the event it becomes necessary to commence any 
proceeding or action to enforce the provisions of this Agreement, the Court 
before whom the same shall be tried may award to the prevailing party all 
costs and expenses thereof, including but not limited to reasonable attorney 
fees, the usual, customary and lawfully recoverable Court costs, and all 
other expenses in connection therewith.


         The parities hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year 
first above written.

                                       "EMPLOYEE"




                                       /s/ Joseph Finci
                                       ------------------------------------
                                       JOSEPH FINCI


                                       "EMPLOYER"
                                   
                                       PACIFIC CREST CAPITAL, INC.




                                       By: /s/ Gary Wehrle
                                          ---------------------------------
                                       GARY WEHRLE

                                       Title: Chairman of the Board

                                       9