The essential work of a loan officer is sometimes overlooked by clients and often overshadowed by the roles of the other professionals involved in a home transaction. Not by me, though.
About 15 years ago, before I knew better, I agreed to work with a lending professional who was sort of a friend of a friend of a friend. I didn’t do my due diligence, and, after a quick coffee meetup, I handed over all my financial documents and paperwork and agreed to work with him on securing a loan for the house I was targeting.
And then he disappeared. Over a few weeks, while I thought he was working on securing my loan, he apparently quit his job, left town and didn’t bother to tell any of his clients. The company where he worked had no record of me or my loan details, they said.
The house I thought I was about to buy suddenly became the house I was about to lose. I connected with one of the large Chicago-area lending companies, one with a track record of reliability, and explained my dilemma. They fast-tracked everything and apologized on behalf of their industry colleague who disappeared, even though they had nothing to do with it.
The house I thought I was about to lose is today the house where I reside — thanks to a reliable, effective loan officer and lending company.
In this issue, we highlight some of those reliable lending professionals, with expertise from Chase, Guaranteed Rate, Wintrust, Neighborhood Loans and more. Our cover story examines how some lending professionals are using personal branding to help build their client base, similar in some ways to how agents often market themselves to potential clients. This month’s Top Coach columnist is Anthony Marinaccio, who coaches mortgage originators and is senior VP of residential lending for Guaranteed Rate.
In addition to putting together this lending-focused issue of Chicago Agent, we’ve also been hard at work on the second annual Who’s Who in Southwest Michigan & Northwest Indiana Residential Real Estate. That special edition is now available online and in print. Be sure to check it out.