Watching our customers get the keys to their new homes never gets old… in fact, it becomes more meaningful with time. Despite the challenges of the real estate market in 2024, we helped many families and individuals achieve their homeownership goals throughout the year — something we are very proud of!
Homeownership is a significant goal for many people because it gives them a place to make memories and helps them invest in their future. Plus, it provides a sense of stability and community. That’s why our jobs, as mortgage professionals, are so important to us — because we provide a way for our neighbors, family members, friends, and colleagues to achieve this.
As we look back on 2024, we have many amazing milestones, achievements, and awards to celebrate. These are the moments that make us who we are… a team of elite mortgage professionals who are dedicated to helping people come “home.”
Happy Customers = Flourishing Business
We prioritize helping people achieve their dream of owning a home, but we also want to ensure we do it correctly. That’s why our customers’ feedback is so important to us.
In 2024, we had an average Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 92.4! NPS works like this: companies are given a rating from -100 (the worst score) to 100 (the best), based on customer feedback. So, as you can see, an overwhelming majority of our customers agree that we provided an exceptional mortgage experience.
We couldn’t have pulled it off without our amazing employees, who work hard every day to provide an even better mortgage journey, by focusing on technology solutions; consistent, transparent communication with our homebuyers; identifying and implementing the best mortgage products; and much more.
Oodles of Awards
2024 was an award-winning year for us (literally!)
We kicked off the year by earning Scotsman Guide’s “Top Workplaces” award — recognition of our exceptional company culture. Shortly after, we were also honored locally by receiving the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Top Workplaces” award for 2024. Of course, we couldn’t have received these two prestigious awards without the support of our team members — they are the ones who truly make Waterstone Mortgage an engaging, forward-thinking, and extraordinary workplace.
Many of our loan originators were also recognized for their hard work and excellence throughout 2024. Seventeen of them were named on Scotsman Guide’s “Top Originators” list and 17 were also awarded Mortgage Executive Magazine’s “Top 1% Mortgage Originators in America” based on their production the previous year. Plus, 14 sales team members also made the National Mortgage News “Top Producers” list.
A few all-stars who deserve to be mentioned here are Gwen Swain (Branch Manager, Eagle, ID), Clarissa Hernandez (Sales Manager, Austin, TX), and Neal Tipton (Branch Manager, Waldorf, MD), who received Scotsman Guide’s “Top Emerging Stars” award. They each had an exceptional year in 2023 (the year the award was based on), collectively helping nearly 300 families and individuals achieve their homeownership dreams.
And… our sales team members weren’t the only ones recognized for their amazing efforts in 2024. Our Operations team was also honored with the “Top 10 Operations Team” award from OnConferences. This was a unique award because it spanned all industries (not just mortgage lenders). We were particularly proud of this one!
Early in 2024, we also celebrated a couple of internal company award recipients, including Margaret Carley (Sr. Product Specialist, Home Office), winner of our Kim Newby Heart of a Champion award, and Zack Pappuleas (Loan Originator, Nampa, ID), winner of our “Rookie of the Year” award.
While 2024 was a challenging year for our industry, we remained dedicated to our goals and received Mortgage Executive Magazine’s “Top 50 Mortgage Companies” award for our achievements as a top mortgage lender in the industry.
Fun Milestones and Events
At Waterstone Mortgage, our year was also jam-packed with some exciting events, conferences, and milestones.
In April, some of our sales team members enjoyed an amazing Top Producers trip to Dana Point, California. There was plenty of fun, laughter, and celebrating in a beautiful setting.
During the summer, our Home Office team celebrated a major milestone — relocating to a modern new space in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The occasion was marked with a Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting event, complete with delicious cuisine from local restaurants. Speaking of cuisine… in November, our Home Office team members celebrated “Friendsgiving” — complete with Thanksgiving-style comfort foods.
In the fall, we also hosted our first Elite Sales Summit in suburban Milwaukee. This was a great opportunity for our loan originators and sales leaders to share ideas and strategies for business growth, professional development, and much more.
Celebrating New Additions & Team Milestones
2024 was also a milestone year for new additions to our team.
We welcomed many new employees, including several returning sales leaders who were excited to come back to their “forever home.” In addition, several of our Scottsdale, Arizona team members celebrated their 15-year anniversary with Waterstone Mortgage.
As we grew around the nation, we were excited to welcome Jason Stier (Director of VA Lending) and the Veteran Community Mortgage Team in Bartonville, Texas. Their team is highly skilled in VA loans and offers an elite level of expertise for veterans and military members who are purchasing homes.
Finally, our executive team added two members in 2024. We welcomed Jim Harper (CFO), who had recently joined our Accounting team, and Traci Husslein (SVP – Capital Markets), a long-term leader of our Capital Markets team.
A Year to Remember
Overall, there was a lot to celebrate in 2024! Though our industry saw some tough times, we stayed committed to our vision of being an elite lender. To help fulfill our mission, we also hired many new sales and support team members throughout the year. This helped us support our ultimate goal to say “yes” to as many homebuyers as possible throughout 2023.
Plus, we’re looking forward to achieving even greater goals in 2025. We are dedicated to being an exceptional mortgage lender, and we’ll never stop working strategically, innovatively, and creatively to serve homebuyers.
