2020 certainly had its ups and downs; here’s a look back at our team’s most uplifting milestones and achievements.
2020 was an astonishing year for us. We served more than 19,000 families and individuals (our highest number ever) and set our all-time company record for loan volume.
How did we do it?
Well, most of the credit is due to our amazing team members, who were dedicated to seeing our customers’ homeownership dreams come true – even during a pandemic.
In fact, when we abruptly switched nearly all our employees to a work-from-home situation in March 2020, we were unsure of how the year might play out. But our leadership team and our employees rose to the occasion. Our productivity increased, as we came up with creative ways to keep our employees informed and engaged.
In April, May, and June, we hit a new quarterly record for our company. During those months, we reached an incredible $1.1 billion in loan volume and helped nearly 5,000 families and individuals purchase or refinance their homes.
We then broke that record in Q3, helping more than 6,000 families and individuals reach their homeownership goals!
We couldn’t have reached these outstanding milestones without our talented sales team. In many cases, our loan originators were working extra hours, as they helped ensure our customers would get into their new homes on time. Their hard work never ceases to amaze us! In fact, a record number of our loan originators (68) achieved President’s Club status – meaning they originated at least $20 million or 100 units in loans. Wow!
In the summer, we also celebrated our 20th anniversary as a company. While our initial plans of a big party were nixed by the pandemic, we found fun (virtual) ways to celebrate with our employees around the country. It was an important milestone for us, as we considered how far we’ve come as a company in two decades.
Awards Galore
The hard work of our team members didn’t go unnoticed in 2020. Our company, our loan originators, and our leadership team members received a number of prestigious awards and recognition for their accomplishments.
Nearly two dozen of our loan originators were recognized as Mortgage Executive Magazine’s Top 1% of Mortgage Originators in America for their 2019 achievements, and 12 were named on Scotsman Guide’s Top Originators 2019 list. Ten of our sales team members also made National Mortgage News’ Top Producers 2020 list.
In the summer, we were recognized as a “Top Mortgage Lender” by Scotsman Guide for the third consecutive year, and received the “Top Workplaces” recognition from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
#LeadershipGoals
It was also a big year for our executive leadership team. HousingWire magazine named Lisa Fenske (SVP – Marketing & Communications) a “Woman of Influence” and Rich Tucker (COO) an “Insider” – two prestigious awards that are given to an elite group of mortgage professionals across the nation. Elizabeth Spragg (SVP – Human Resources) also received the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 2020 HR Award.
Not only that, but we also promoted Rich Tucker to COO (a very well-deserved promotion!) and welcomed our new President & CEO, Jeff McGuiness.
Thank You!
To our team members – thank you for your dedication. We know the year was tough for many, but you persevered and worked hard to help our customers “come home” during a year when our homes became more important than ever.
To our business partners – thank you for your resolve to work alongside us, as we continued to make homeownership dreams come true.
To our customers – we couldn’t have done it without you. We will continue to provide home purchase and refinance solutions to meet your goals, and we hope you enjoy all the benefits and happiness that homeownership brings.
