A banking and finance degree from Purdue University pointed Mike Nielsen toward Wells Fargo right out of college, and a vacancy on the mortgage side of the business pointed him toward his career. Twenty-two years later, he is a senior vice president of mortgage lending at OriginPoint, a Rate company, with a client base built almost entirely on referral relationships cultivated over two decades with real estate agents he knows and trusts.
Nielsen specializes in first-time homebuyers, jumbo financing, and refinancing, serving clients across Chicago, on the North Shore and into Southwest Michigan. He leads a team that includes some of the company’s top processors, which lets him stay focused on the client relationship, knowing the back end is in capable hands. His preparation process is deliberate: Before work formally begins, he walks clients through the full lending timeline, key milestones and what to expect from him at each stage. That transparency — paired with fast communication and close coordination with the real estate professionals alongside whom he works — is what clients consistently point to when they say the process felt different from what they expected.
Nielsen has earned his brokerage’s President’s Club recognition every year from 2006 through 2026, as well as its Chairman’s Club designation — awarded for funding more than $100 million in volume annually — in 2016 and every year from 2019 through 2025. Mortgage Executive Magazine has ranked him among its Top 200 Originators and in the top 1% of mortgage originators nationally for seven consecutive years. He founded a North Shore BNI chapter and is a member of the Southwest Michigan Association of REALTORS®.
Away from the office, Nielsen plays drums in a band, has a bourbon podcast and is building out a growing collection of classic cars.
Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Restrictions apply. OriginPoint LLC; NMLS # 2185899. For licensing information visit nmlsconsumeraccess.org. Equal Housing Lender.
