Jamie Franz, Bradley Rasof and Scott Schneiderman have been in the mortgage business for decades — and they’ve been friends for almost as long. Now, as part of a new type of lending team at CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM), Franz, Rasof and Schneiderman are taking their relationship to the professional level.

The trio first met at Guaranteed Rate, coming up through the ranks as top-producing loan originators. Bonding through the company’s Presidents’ Club, which recognizes successful officers nationwide, they embarked on tropical work retreats. And back at home, they remained close, trading in those sandy beaches for Cubs game hangouts. All three men, it turned out, were local to Chicago. But that’s not all they had in common.

Franz, Rasof and Schneiderman shared a similar work ethic — which did not go unnoticed. After former Guaranteed Rate COO Rob Sampson left the firm for CCM, he kept in touch with all three local loan officers, recognizing their potential for collaboration. Eventually, he reached out with an offer: to join CCM together as a unique type of lending team.

Now senior vice presidents at CCM, Franz, Rasof and Schneiderman complete all their loan production individually. However, they are business partners, sharing all resources for marketing, events and social media — essential tactics in the competitive field of lending. CCM provides the necessary tech and platform, and, within that framework, the three SVPs operate as a cohesive team. A team which they plan to build out through recruitment.

Eventually, the goal is to say, “Hey, if you come work with us, you’ll have this plug-and-play strategy,” says Franz, who is also branch manager. The term “plug-and-play” comes up often when discussing the setup with these three leaders. They pride themselves on the operational ease that this CCM alliance can offer new recruits. 

There’s no official team name for what Franz, Rasof and Schneiderman share. After all, they operate independent of one other when it comes to loan production. Instead, what they are building is behind the scenes. It’s a structure which, hopefully, will help future CCM loan officers grow. And though it’s only been two months working together at CCM, all three SVPs are confident in their mission.

“If you come work with us, you can plug and play at a high level,” Rasof says. “We share the same resources. We share high-level processing, the same dedicated marketing person.” And in this industry, he knows that’s vital. “Unsung heroes” is Rasof’s preferred term for processors and office staff. He brings it up again and again, gushing over the crew they’ve assembled.

“At the end of the day, we’re selling a product that a million other people sell … so you’re only as good as your team,” Rasof says. “And right now, I feel like we have a team of assassins.”

Schneiderman, too, is feeling good about the transition: “It’s been a very positive change.” He shares a strong entrepreneurial spirit with his colleagues — it’s what drove them to join CCM in the first place. “Now, we make the decisions and have control. And it’s made things easier from a lending standpoint,” Schneiderman says.

In addition to their spirit, Franz, Rasof and Schneiderman are like-minded in their goals. They want to deepen relationships with referral partners and Realtors and care deeply about how they treat their clients. “Talking from a marketing standpoint,” Schneiderman says, “I think we share the same vision of how we want to grow our business. The same mindfulness for how we want to be in the future.”

For Franz especially, the future looks bright. He can hardly contain his excitement when discussing his role at CCM, likening the last few months to a happy honeymoon. “In life, you have different chapters … and this feels like the last chapter of our career,” he said, adding; “It’s not work when it’s with your friends.”