Top Producers Pro Tips: Down South Dealmakers 2016
April 1, 2016 1:30 PM
South Regional Rankings
Learn how the some of the industry's most successful loan originators get it done with these tricks of the trade from the 2016 Top Producers top 20 loan officers of the South.
No. 20 Michael Alexander, Citibank<br> Delray Beach, Fla. (No. 88 overall)
What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?My only mistake was not opening my own business in 2001. I was prepared to do so, but I started with a local broker to learn the business. I feel I made the move to Citibank at the perfect time (in May 2013), as correspondent lenders simply can't compete with our rates and customer service.
No. 19 Greg Lapointe, AmeriSave Mortgage<br> Atlanta, Ga. (No. 82 overall)
What's unique about the local market that you serve and what do you do to address those needs?I am licensed in 17 states with AmeriSave, so it is a challenge to remember all the nuances of each area. For example, in Louisiana the counties are referred to as parishes. If you were to ask what county the customer lives in, you would look like an outsider. So it is more of a challenge to try to keep up with the local aspects of all your territories when you cover many states.
No. 18 Craig Strent, Apex Home Loans<br> Rockville, Md. (No. 78 overall)
Who is someone in your life, either personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?My network of other mortgage colleagues around the country has contributed to my success more than anything else. Most mortgage professionals are skeptical of networking and sharing marketing and best practices. There is nothing I have done that has moved the needle more than meeting with other mortgage professionals nationally, sharing best practices, and swiping and adapting materials and ideas.
No. 17 Brian Morley, Fulton Mortgage<br> Columbia, Md. (No. 76 overall)
Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?Ive always provided my clients with both football and baseball schedules, something that is very well received. It keeps me at the top of mind with my customers.
No. 16 John Downs, Caliber Home Loans<br> Annapolis, Md. (No. 74 overall)
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.It is tricky working with self-employed borrowers. I have countless stories of these. I have gotten on the phone together with certified public accountants to help underwriters who have no clue about complicated tax structures to better understand the real picture.
No. 15 William Hutto, Consumer Direct Mortgage<br> Delray Beach, Fla. (No. 72 overall)
Who is someone in your life, either personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?I need to thank my wife for allowing me to work the hours to assist my borrowers in all 50 states at all hours of the day. Without her support, I wouldn't be able to obtain the production that I have had in the last several years. I also work for a great originator that makes it a blessing to go to work every day.
No. 14 Craig Stelzer, Guaranteed Rate<br> Boca Raton, Fla. (No. 65 overall)
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.There isn't an "easy" loan these days, so to some extent every successful closing involved something or unusual to work through. Most of my real estate broker relationships were developed by closing deals others could not. I constantly close loans using conventional and jumbo guideline nuances the local "top" mortgage people don't know about, or don't remember.
No. 13 Andrew Harris, Truity Credit Union<br> Bartlesville, Okla. (No. 64 overall)
Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?We utilize a 25-day closing guarantee as an ongoing marketing piece; if we do not close your loan in that time we will pay $595 towards your closing costs. I think it has been very effective because it tells our members and the real estate agents that we are willing to put our money where our mouths are and always do what we say we are going to do.
No. 12 Linda Mister, Highlands Residential Mortgage<br> Fort Worth, Texas (No. 60 overall)
What's unique about the local market that you serve and what do you do to address those needs?We are very fortunate in the Fort Worth area to be a hot market right now. I work all hours day and night. I don't give up. I'm tenacious. I don't believe in gimmicks, I've seen them come and go. They don't work; what works is serving your agents and your customers.
No. 11 Carlos Larrazabal, George Mason Mortgage<br> Reston, Va. (No. 55 overall)
What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?Every month you have to go out and get new loans. (Larrazabal moved to Washington First Mortgage earlier this year.)
No. 10 Eric Glick, Starkey Mortgage<br> Savannah, Ga. (No. 45 overall)
Who is someone in your life, either personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?Beyond a shadow of a doubt, my wife is the one person who deserves to be recognized here. She gives me moral support on a daily basis. She helps with so many things in our personal lives. She is always doing little things with the kids to make our family stronger. And, she always keeps me positive when work becomes stressful so that I can stay focused on being successful. Emily, honey, you are my rock.
No. 9 Michael Murgatroy, Guaranteed Rate<br> Boca Raton, Fla., (No. 44 overall)
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.We had a client file their taxes after we pre-approved them for a loan on a new construction home. They decided to write off unreimbursed business expenses which drove their debt-to-income ratio over 65%. The closing was only 10 days away when we found this out. Our solution was to change the loan from 20% down to a 10% down payment, plus we paid off eight or nine accounts to bring the DTI down to 50%.
No. 8 Bradley Cohen, Capital Bank<br> Bethesda, Md. (No. 43 overall)
Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?I've been passsing out flyers on a monthly basis to the same neighborhoods for 18 years. It generates a decent amount of business but it also keeps my name out there. And it is by far the cheapest form of advertising with the biggest return on investment I have found. I started it back when I detailed cars at age 13 and it worked in my first year of selling mortgages to the tune of 155 loans closed.
No. 7 Phil Nguyen, George Mason Mortgage<br> Fairfax, Va. (No. 39 overall)
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.Each file presents it's own unique qualities. So, you just have to be up to date on your knowledge of products, markets and more in order to be creative.
No. 6 Gregg Busch, First Savings Mortgage<br> McLean, Va. (No. 38 overall)
What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?The origination process has gotten much more difficult to navigate through. Now, you need to review loan files thoroughly before commiting to approve a borrower.
No. 5 Robby Oakes, Corporate Investors Mortgage Group<br> Chapel Hill, N.C. (No. 25 overall)
What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?It is having the confidence in that you can only do your best. Things are going to happen during a real estate transaction. You can't fix all the problems.
No. 4 Erik Elsasser, Consumer Direct Mortgage<br> Charlotte, N.C. (No. 23 overall)
What's unique about the local market that you serve and what do you do to address those needs?Charlotte is a banking town with some of the top mortgage talent in the country. I am able to network through my peers and often do mortgages for individuals with other mortgage companies due to our rates and costs being better, even with their employee discounts.
No. 3 Rick Elmendorf, Caliber Home Loans<br> Fairfax, Va. (No. 20 overall)
Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?I host a movie event every year for my client appreciation day. This year we hosted the premier of "Star Wars" (we sold out two full theaters) and my clients and business partners (and their families) thoroughly enjoyed it. This event usually results in a couple of client referrals.
No. 2 Matt Andre, FBC Mortgage<br> Lake Mary, Fla. (No. 15 overall)
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.We had a borrower qualified to purchase a home with a 95% loan-to-value conventional loan. But just before he applied with us, he financed a new vehicle. We resubmitted the loan to underwriting for final approval. The auto loan appeared on an updated credit report, his credit score dropped from 728 to 718 and his loan was now getting a refer from automated underwriting. We restructured the loan for the FHA program. We paid for a rush appraisal and all of the borrowers closing costs.
No. 1 Brian Blonder, Capital Bank<br> Annapolis, Md. (No. 6 overall)
Who is someone in your life, either personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?All of the people that tried to convince me that this industry wouldn't sustain meaningful income for me and I would fail. It was through this doubt from others I gained strength and tenacity to become the best in this industry.
