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Partner Spotlight: Atlantic Trust Mortgage
Written by Michelle Williamson Photography by Megan Murray
Atlantic
Trust Mortgage
Atlantic Trust Mortgage (ATM) partners Scott Goldstein and Wade Swindell are delivering top-notch customer service while remaining focused on company growth and upholding their values. This duo has plans to grow ATM to be the premiere mortgage brokerage in Jacksonville.
They’ve proven their staying power and have earned the respect of their lenders and real estate professionals. Today, ATM maintains wholesale relationships with more than twenty national lenders, which gives them the ability to match any client with the best rate and loan for their situation.
They are dedicated to going the extra mile. “If we don’t return a call within 15 minutes, we’re doing something wrong,” says Scott. He’s not joking. “I’ve had real estate agents text asking if I was okay if I didn’t respond quickly.”
ATM seeks to remove the turbulence in closing a home loan. And that means rapid, effective communication with everyone involved in the process to answer questions or solve issues that might emerge during the loan acquisition process. ATM does what is needed to make sure buyers close on time.
ATM’s Beginning Scott “kind of fell into the industry” while working in the hospitality business. He was approached by a mortgage company manager
in Orlando who asked if he’d like to interview for a position in a new office. “I wasn’t familiar with the industry, so I discussed it with my parents,” he says. “Then I made the leap. After about a year, I left for other opportunities.” Scott accepted a position with a national mortgage brokerage.
In 2003, Scott opened ATM as a wholesale mortgage brokerage that offers residential mortgage products for purchase and refinance clients. “We were a different kind of company back then,” he remembers. “We focused a lot on refinances.”
When the housing crash of 2008 happened, within two to three months, the entire ATM staff was gone. Scott forged ahead, though, and focused on rebuilding. A boost came in 2010 when ATM partnered with local real estate offices. For the past seven or eight years now, the majority of ATM’s loan volume— between 80-to-85 percent—has been purchase business.
Building Deep Relationships The next boost came three and a half years ago, when Wade Swindell joined Scott as partner. “ATM was doing fine, so I had to decide whether to stay the same or grow the company and brand,” says Scott. He decided he enjoyed the challenge of growth more than the comfort of status quo.
Then Scott and Wade met. “I was looking at bringing on a business partner,” Scott shares. “Wade and I met at a networking event. Later, we met for lunch and I learned more about him.” The decision to partner was not overnight. “Wade was happy where he was too,” says Scott. The two met three or four times before deciding to go all in.
Since Wade came on board three years ago, ATMs loan volume has increased 80 percent, each year. They credit their success to their shared customer-focused mindset.
“Our business is based on deep relationships with real estate professionals in the community. We pride ourselves on our reputation and responsiveness to all parties in any given transaction,” Wade says. “Our business is modeled after serving them.”
“Real estate professionals are our number one priority,” he continues. “When they are working, they deserve a partner that is working just as hard for them and their clients. Our staff knows this is not a nine-to-five business. We work nights and weekends, just like the people we partner with and serve.”
It’s NOT Business as Usual at ATM “We focus on not only offering the most competitive rates, we offer white glove customer service to our clients and real estate partners,” says Scott. “Communication in our industry is such a focal point in being able to meet closing dates, so we make it a top priority to always be available to our clients and industry partners.”
Scott and Wade also take pride in hiring the top loan originators in the industry who share the partners’ customer service mindset. “Our staff goes above and beyond for our clients to ensure they have a wonderful experience.” That experience includes rapid and knowledgeable customer service to remove common problems that create buyer anxiety.
“Purchasing a home is typically the largest asset a person will purchase,” says Scott. “We like to take the worry out of the equation by listening to our clients and answering their questions, so we can ease their minds.”
Beyond the Office While both Scott and Wade are business-focused, they do take time to enjoy life. Scott has three children: Ethan (10), Charlotte (8), and Lucy (4) and enjoys his time with them, often at baseball, horse riding, and cheer activities. He also loves spending time with family and friends, boating, and being outside running or bike riding. Wade also enjoys his family time, often attending his sons’ games, Lincoln (11) plays football and Logan (8) plays soccer. His daughter Mackenzie (13) is active in dance and loves to surf. Wade is a UNF graduate, a communications major, who has been married to Katie for 17 years.
Both Scott and Wade are Jacksonville Jaguars fans and are looking forward to the upcoming season. Wade actually delayed entry into college to work for the Jaguars’ equipment manager during the Jags’ first season. On Sundays that inaugural season, he had the “opportunity to hold Coach Coughlin’s headset cord (this was before they were wireless) and follow his every move up and down the sideline.”
Looking Ahead Currently, in addition to running the company, both Scott and Wade originate loans. As ATM grows, both partners intend to step back from their loan origination roles to focus on company growth.
“Our growth goal within the next seven to eight years is to triple our size in terms of how many loan originators we have on staff and our loan volume,” Scott shares. “In our industry, reputation is everything. Wade and I strive every day to build a company that is honest, upfront, and transparent. If we make a mistake, we are going to make it right. Our company goal is to never stray from our core values.”
