Chase
After witnessing the negative impact the recent recession had on her banking customers, Nabila Wadwani became a loan officer with Chase.
“What inspires me most about lending is the ability to make a difference in a person’s life and financial health,” she says. Although she has an MBA in business finance from Keller School of Business, the most valuable education she received was witnessing the work ethic of her immigrant parents who balanced multiple jobs to give her a good life. “They demonstrated daily to take pride in doing the best job possible, as opposed to being proud of having the best job possible,” she says. “They made a home for us in the U.S. and showed me that homeownership was the cornerstone of the American Dream.”
At Chase, her primary focus is first-time homebuyers, specifically East Asian immigrants. She relates to clients on a personal level because of their shared experience. “After nine years, I have developed deep ties with this community,” she says. “It helps me to anticipate and understand the challenges many of them face when applying for a mortgage.”
Before making assumptions about products and pricing, she takes time to understand clients’ needs and wants. That way, she can determine their qualifications and prevent any surprises down the line.
Many of Wadwani’s clients are self-employed, receive gift funds or have difficulty proving income. “They look to me to understand their financial situation and advocate for them,” she says. The best part of her job is when a client has finally signed all of their documents and gets the keys to their new home. “All of the stress and anxiety is worth the gratitude and joy of ownership exhibited by clients at closing,” she says.
Wadwani continues to strive for the best and to make her parents proud and show them that their hard work was worth it. Volunteering is engrained in her culture, and she continues that by helping out at her religious center. “I believe it is the duty of each individual to give back to the community in whatever way or form is convenient for them,” she says. “This will lead to the creation of a society that is more united and strong and willing to help one another without any ulterior motives.”
