In 2016, Lina Sampat made a career pivot and became a mortgage originator, but she was no stranger to finance and home loans. Sampat had more than a decade of experience working at Big Four consulting firms and top investment banks, and she was the daughter of nationally ranked top-producing loan officer Suren Sampat. Bringing passion and expertise to her new role, she became a rising star who quickly established herself as one of the top-ranked mortgage originators in America.

Today, Sampat is a senior vice president of residential lending at the downtown Chicago branch of Draper and Kramer Mortgage and a member of the lender’s President’s Club for top-producing loan officers. In 2021, she closed more than $124 million in home loans, maintaining a place on industry publication Scotsman Guide’s annual Top Originators and Top Women Originators nationwide rankings. The previous year, she became Draper and Kramer Mortgage’s first female loan officer to close more than $100 million and more than $200 million in a single year.

Sampat attributes her impressive success to the intricate care she provides to her customers. “I take the time to understand each of my clients’ needs before finding them the loan options that best fit their situations,” she says. “Then I provide guidance and expertise throughout the whole process in order to minimize any roadblocks or issues that may come up along the way.”

Because Sampat is licensed in many states, she has expanded her business outside Chicagoland to serve clients moving out of state or purchasing second homes or investment properties in other parts of the country. For the year ahead, she looks forward to building on her impressive achievements as she continues to serve her growing client base across Chicagoland and beyond.

In her free time, Sampat participates in a women’s golf league, plays tennis, volunteers at animal shelters and enjoys traveling and hanging out with her rescue dog, Lilly.