Before Vahram Amayakyan—known simply as “V.” to his clients—ever analyzed tax returns or structured complex loans, he learned how to prepare, how to focus, and how to show up—day after day—on a basketball court.
“I used to sleep with my basketball,” he said. “It was my escape.”
That level of devotion carried him far beyond local gyms. As a player for Homenetmen Western USA basketball, V. became part of a worldwide Armenian athletic community rooted in discipline, culture, and pride. In 2011, Armenian-American players from across the country captured the Pan-Armenian men’s basketball championship, an achievement that symbolized not just athletic excellence, but commitment to something bigger than oneself.
“The Prime Minister [from Armenia] came down afterwards, and handed us the medals, and I'm in that picture.”
The lessons from that experience—training relentlessly, competing at the highest level, and being accountable to a team—would later shape how V approaches his professional life. The discipline he developed on the court would become the foundation of his philosophy on investment — in markets, clients, and long-term stability.
When asked what basketball taught him about business, he explained, “Determination, hard work, focus. To be a top level athlete, at a collegiate level or even for a national team, you’ve got to have the commitment, the drive, the focus, to work on your craft. And this is my craft now – lending.”
Just as basketball demanded consistency and preparation, lending would demand the same. But the path there wasn’t linear. While attending college at UC Irvine, V. initially pursued a direction encouraged by his family.
“My family pushed me down the medical path to be a doctor,” he said. “But I was sleeping through all my bio classes.”
What held his attention instead was numbers. “My chemistry class, which was mostly math, I was excelling in,” he said—leading him to switch to economics at a moment when the mortgage industry was beginning to surge.
His introduction to lending was anything but easy. “First day on the job… the lady that hired me gave me a binder that was this thick and said, ‘This is how you do a loan.’ It was sink or swim.”
The pressure felt familiar—much like stepping onto the court at a high level. “You need to be very disciplined. This isn't a 9 to 5 job,” V. explained. “You have to have certain timelines, calendars, and checklists, or else you're going to fail.”
Licensed since 2003 and with more than two decades in the industry, including the last 15 years with Wintrust Mortgage, V. has seen markets shift, guidelines change, and technology automate much of the process. What hasn’t changed is his belief that success—like basketball—comes down to fundamentals and relationships.
“I think it's just a personal touch. Every deal that I work on,” he said. “I still have the first person that I ever closed a loan for. I have his name and number, and I send him a holiday card every year, so I stay in touch with my people.”
In a field increasingly driven by speed, volume, and impersonal systems, V.’s approach stands apart. He doesn’t hand clients off to assistants. He doesn’t disappear once paperwork begins. He stays present—start to finish.
“I treat them well, and that's how I get my repeat business,” V. explained. “I feel like you do right by them, you take care of them.”
That mindset mirrors team loyalty in sports. You don’t show up for one quarter—you commit for the whole game. “I am the point of contact from when I speak with you regarding, ‘Hey, I want to get pre-approved,’” he said. “I’m the point of contact when I tell you your loan's clear and closing.”
Behind the scenes, V. takes personal ownership of every file. “I enjoy getting into the thick of it, and analyzing the data,” he said. “I like solutions. I enjoy putting a packet together, so when an underwriter looks at it, point A to point Z, they know my level of thinking and how I got there.”
That preparation is intentional—and respectful of his clients’ time and trust. “I don't throw stuff against the wall to see if it sticks,” V. explained. “It's a waste of my time. It's a waste of the client's time.”
For V., investing isn’t reactive. It’s rooted in patience and long-term perspective. “If you're going to hold onto a piece of property, you're marrying the house, not the interest rate,” he said. “Don’t lose the opportunity to buy that house.”
When asked what investment truly means to him, the answer reflects both his personal and professional priorities. “Long term stability, not only for myself, but for my family,” he said.
Married for 15 years and father to daughter Lucia, 10, and twin boys Narek and Vahan, 5, V. brings the same discipline home that once defined his athletic career. “When I get home, everything kind of stays at the door,” he said. “The boys play soccer two times a week. I’m coaching my daughter's under 10 basketball team… I love it.”
From sleeping with a basketball to guiding clients through life-changing financial decisions, V. has always played the long game. The fundamentals matter. Preparation matters. And relationships—on the court and in lending—make all the difference.