Mark Bechtold

Senior Residential Leader
Wintrust Mortgage

Blending a passion for pleasing people and an inclination for finance, when Mark Bechtold, a senior residential lender, entered the industry at the age of 21 after graduating from the University of Kansas, he was confident the decision was sound. Two decades later, he is happy to have proven himself right.

“I decided to become a loan officer to work with people on what, for many, will be the most important and emotional financial transaction of their lives,” he says, adding that the work is, “very rewarding.”

Bechtold specializes in construction lending, specifically one-time close loan products used to finance construction projects for clients hoping to build a new home, tear down an existing home and build new or rehab an existing home. However, despite his expertise in the narrow field and his genuine interest in the custom home building process, Bechtold says he’s not in the business of saying no to a client. “I have never turned away a client applying for a mortgage. I work very hard to find a solution for each client’s needs.”

Bechtold says he’s a listener. He hears his clients’ needs and expectations and works to tailor a loan program to fit their needs. However, he says it’s not a matter of “you tell, I do” — it’s a learning process.

“The documentation requirements for obtaining a mortgage loan are robust,” he says, which is why his strategy is proactive, starting from the initial conversation. Bechtold says from the get-go he provides his clients with a detailed list of what documentation will be needed, and from that avoids the burden of having to return to the client with additional information requests.

As a senior lender, Bechtold has evolved into more than just a loan officer; he’s also a mentor. “I have hired and trained dozens of new loan officers,” he says. From his clients to his officers, he’s using his knowledge and experience to help change the face of the industry and improve the overall process.