A senior mortgage consultant, Derek Malley looks at loans more as a relationship than as a transaction. “At Union Home Mortgage, I service loans, which allows me to have direct access after closing,” Malley says. “The amount of control and tools I have access to is paramount.” After recently recruiting five new loan officers to the office, Malley helped move Union Home Mortgage from being ranked 150th in Illinois up to being 12th in the state.
Specializing in condo financing, Malley also offers jumbo, first-time-homebuyer and multiunit loans throughout Chicagoland and the surrounding suburbs. In the industry for 14 years, he got into lending right after college, working with a top producer at Wells Fargo, where he wrote his first loan within a year. With his business based mostly on referrals and past clients, he leads a team, adding that his favorite words are “camaraderie” and “collaboration.”
A President’s Club producer for several lenders over the past 10 years, Malley is known for his accessibility, honesty and transparency. With a process-driven style, he focuses on taking time to answer all of his clients’ questions, treating the process as educational. When meeting with new clients, he prepares a list of questions he asks upfront to help gauge the direction of the conversation and tailor the transaction. “Consumers want to learn about the process, not be told what to do,” he remarks. “When I take the time to review every step, they feel much more comfortable.”
Malley has been an active member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for 10 years. An avid Chicago Bears fan, he enjoys listening to live music and engaging in outdoor activities such as fishing and boating on Lake Michigan.
