At his first job after college, Mike McNamara evaluated the credit worthiness of car loan applicants at an automobile finance company. When a colleague suggested he join him at his new job in the mortgage business, he gave it a try. Twenty-five years later, he still works in lending.

McNamara, vice president of Mortgage Lending with Proper Rate, helps borrowers understand the lending process and their mortgage options. “They like that I don’t push or sell them anything,” he says. “I help them understand the big picture and how their mortgage payment directly relates to their ability to save for retirement.”

Ranked a Top 1% Loan Originator by Mortgage Executive Magazine, he is also a 5-Star Professional and a member of Guaranteed Rate/Proper Rate’s President’s Club. “The one skill that has been instrumental to my success is my ability to listen carefully and therefore address and solve customer’s concerns/problems genuinely,” he says. “I know how important and emotionally settling it is for a customer to know how their potential homeownership goals are related to their overall financial picture.”

McNamara’s style is educational. He listens to clients, identifies their struggles and challenges, and creates a roadmap for helping them reach their homeownership goals. He never sends a borrower on their way with a preapproval that is too much money for them. Instead, he helps them understand all of their options, to make a smart choice that gives them financial confidence instead of buyer’s remorse.

Most of his clients come from realtor partners, business leaders and past customers. “When they see how much I care, it raises their level of trust, they have a better experience and eventually tell more of their friends about me and the person who referred me,” he says. “It’s a win for everyone.”

To give back, he supports three women’s shelters that assist victims of domestic violence.