Ryan Pierce, senior vice president of mortgage lending at A and N Mortgage Services, has more than 19 years of experience in the real estate business. He spent the majority of that time working as a wholesale mortgage banker until switching into mortgage-loan origination in 2014. He was among the top 1% of U.S. loan originators by volume from 2015 through 2020, according to Mortgage Executive Magazine, and was named by the Scotsman Guide as a Top Originator from 2018 to 2020. “I want my clients and referral partners to benefit from my experience and expertise,” Pierce says.

Pierce decided to get into the lending business after an unpleasant experience purchasing his home in 2001, when the Realtor, the attorney and the lender all left him feeling unsatisfied with the process. “My impression of all three was that they were acting like they were doing me a favor,” he remembers. “My questions about the process seemed to annoy them.”

Those unhelpful attitudes convinced Pierce that he could provide people a better experience than what he had endured, so he traded in his career in advertising for one in mortgage lending. “I wanted to put the joy back into what should be a joyful experience,” he shares. Pierce has been providing positive homebuying experiences to clients ever since. First-time homebuyers consistently share their appreciation with him for explaining finances and the loan processes in ways that are easily understood and give them confidence and comfort in making their purchase.

His Realtor partners have expressed their gratitude for his quick response times, expertise of product guidelines, problem-solving and ability to deliver. Realtors who work with Pierce know that he can get them a pre-approval done in 20 minutes if they need it. “My Realtors know that if I issue a pre-approval letter, then the deal will close,” he says.