loan because all that matters is that we do a great job from start to finish for every single customer,” he says. “It helps to show that we have done a good volume of loans, as it means we’re experienced, so the customer should expect great service from us. If we don’t provide great service, it is crucial for us to immediately identify what happened so that we can improve for the next loan. We are always learning and trying to get better. We don’t ever think that we have ‘arrived’ and our work is done. Our focus is on streamlining the process for the loan officer and the customer, as we want to eliminate the pain points to create a great experience while doing a loan with us.” Customer service is naturally tied to what a retail lender can offer – which is why originators said they prioritize areas like compensation, rates, underwriting scenario support and breadth of product when choosing a lender to work with.
used or seen anywhere in my 36-plus years in the mortgage business.” LoanStream Mortgage was commended for its variety of “prime and non-QM proprietary programs,” while Christensen Financial also received praise for its breadth of products. “We have incredible relationships with our 35-plus investors, which means our branch managers lend with confidence,” Christensen Financial told MPA. “Our product lines are extensive and include FHA, VA, USDA, conventional products, jumbo, reverse and construction, as well as portfolio products.” The changing industry climate has also meant a fundamental shift in working practices. A huge increase in remote working was the most obvious effect of COVID-19 – something that could have a significant impact in an industry where face-to-face communication is so highly valued.
“Our work family came together [in 2020] to accomplish record growth and honor our commitment to serving our communities” Gabriel Gillen, Family First Funding
On the latter point, Family First Funding was highlighted for having “over 60 correspondent and broker investor relationships,” plus “in-house underwriting of non-QM, jumbo and reverse,” while an originator who singled out Veritas Funding enthused that “these guys seem to have it all available, in-house or broker … the best I have ever
Gabriel Gillen, president of Family First Funding, admits that “2020 was not an easy year for the industry. However, our work family came together to accomplish record growth and honor our commitment to serving our communities.” ‘Coming together’ seemed to be the name of the game over the past year. Origina-
METHODOLOGY Beginning in April, MPA reached out to readers across the country to find out which retail lenders were raising the bar with their service to originators. Survey participants were asked to nominate the best retail lenders in the country and provide an overview of the services and benefits that make that particular lender so great to work with. With a huge influx of responses from originators, the competition for a place on the list was tough – but after reviewing all of the nominations, the MPA team narrowed down the list to 30 very deserving winners.
78% of originators said it’s very important to receive underwriting support from their lender
64% of originators said it’s very important for a lender to have a wide variety of products
57% of originators said the compensation they receive from a lender is very important
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