He received his PhD in Finance from the University of Georgia and his MVA and BS in Finance from Auburn University. After receiving his MBA, he worked as a financial analyst in the Chief Economist's Office at the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and, subsequently, the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). While on the staff at these regulatory agencies, he performed research and analysis on the thrift industry and prepared congressional testimony concerning the problems the industry faced in the late 1980s.