SEPTEMBER 2021 TTMarikepemDaoorwyn Lane page 6 BBeecttoemr LinOg a page 2
CARDILLO'S CORNER Hello Team Castle! Fall is quickly approaching, and we are back to school, football, and the colors of autumn. If you live anywhere north of Texas, you can almost sense the coming of fall. Cooler nights and mornings, changing colors of the leaves, shorter days. It’s my favorite time of year. It’s a time to get re- invigorated. Maybe it’s the cooler weather that gets you going. Whatever the case may be, it’s a great time as a loan originator to take stock of your game and assess your goals and work habits. Keys to becoming a better loan originator • Know your stuff: Knowledge is power. Know your products and programs. Become a Byte and Optimal Blue expert. Learn to maximize the Forge and SimpleNexus. • Pick a niche and work hard: As Greg Price and Joe Massey often say, stay in your lane and focus on what you're good at. What they mean is, find your selling niche and be really good at it. At Castle & Cooke Mortgage, we are really good at conventional and govie purchases and refinances for homeowners. Our turn times and processes on that business are second to none. Use that to your advantage. • Build your visibility: Use the social media platforms available to you and be present on them all the time. Also, participate in local networking organizations and charitable causes. Jennifer Gokool is a great example. She donates much of her time to Homes for Heroes, and that in turn leads to referrals for business.
• Educate your customers: Your borrowers don’t really understand the lending business the way you do, so they’ll rely on you to help them make sense of it all. Set realistic expectations, especially if there’s anything in an application that might raise a red flag. • Be a student of your own presentations: Surprisingly few salespeople in any field closely monitor their own presentations, but you should. As you see more clients, you’ll notice that sometimes you seem to lose them at points in your presentation. Make a note of those. You’ll also find that sometimes you hit on a way of expressing a point that really seems to resonate. Make a note of those, too. • Upgrade your customers: The better a client’s credit score, the easier it is to get them approved and to get them the rates and terms they want. One option is to screen your borrowers and only work with those who have solid-gold credit, but there’s a ton of competition in that demographic. It’s better to work a niche that makes sense for you and to upgrade the borrowers you get. • Offer your customers the concierge experience: People pay for great service. Give “best in class” service not just on the mortgage process but the whole “purchasing a new home” process. • Get reviews at every opportunity: Direct word-of-mouth referrals are the gold standard in sales, but—to extend that analogy—reviews are the paper money of referrals. When was the last time you bought something or tried a new restaurant without checking the reviews? Exactly. • Stay in touch: If you’re thinking in terms of a long-term career, not just your next payday, one thing you’ll never do is lose touch with a customer. In the coming decades, a large percentage of your clients will buy several more properties as their main residence or as investments. You do want their business then, too, right? • Build a teamwork relationship with your coworkers: Building solid relationships with your partners in Compliance, Operations, Marketing, Underwriting, Capital markets and IT is critical. They are your teammates and there is “No I in Team.” Remember that no one who goes it alone in business is successful. Have you mastered all of the above? Probably not. So get focused on the above and step up your game this fall. Good luck and good selling, Rick Cardillo, President and CEO
AUGUST by the NUMBER$ Team Castle hit it out of the park in August, exceeding production goals by about $2 million to total more than $142 million in loans closed. The team funded 495 units, with a higher average loan size than last month. It also held on to 63% of loans closed for the servicing portfolio—just 2% shy of the 65% goal. “That’s a very good thing to have,” said Castle & Cooke Mortgage President & CEO Rick Cardillo. “Overall, it was a really, really good month.” He attributed the success to a rate rally at the end of July, an update to pricing on a few key loan programs, and exceptional teamwork on the ground floor. “The whole team does a really good job and that’s what gets us to the finish line–that’s what gets us in the end zone,” Rick said. With Consumer Direct branches now open in Utah, Texas, Missouri, and New Jersey, the company is poised for serious growth. “To go in and start a channel from scratch, it’s a lot of work and it takes time to build,” Rick explained. “But we’ve got the foundation we really like. We’re committed to the CD business channel, and it’s growing.”
Congrats to National Training SEPTEMBER 2021 Manager Dan Taylor on being named our Corporate Peak COR PORATE VOTE: Performer for September! We love your positivity, your fun Dan Taylor and engaging personality, and how you boost our confidence National Training Manager in ourselves! FIELD VOTE: Cindy Soper, a funder, is efficient, upbeat, positive, and Cindy Soper AMAZING at communication with outside companies— Funder and that’s why her colleagues nominated her to be one of this month’s Peak Performers. Congrats on the recognition, Cindy, and thanks for all you do to make Castle & Cooke Mortgage a great place to work! SEPTEMBER 2021 Ricci Wahlquist is a post-closing specialist, and she’s one of September’s COR PORATE VOTE: Rookies of the Month! In her short time on the team, she’s earned a reputation for Ricci Wahlquist being thorough, positive, hard-working, and always excited to learn new things. Post Closing Specialist Congrats, Ricci! FIELD VOTE: Chris Walker is a junior underwriter and he’s known for being super quick, helpful, Chris Walker giving clear explanations to colleagues, and going the extra mile. He always has a Junior Underwriter smile on his face, and he was chosen by his peers as one of our September Rookies of the Month! Congrats, Christopher, and thanks for all you do.
We all have our time machines... Board Game break on Parley’s Way “My first memory working for CCM is sitting in the Parley’s Way office on folding chairs in the middle of sawdust and hammering, and planning out the office floor plan. \"After that, we would meet in the conference room and play either Monopoly or UNO until the loans started coming in. Such fun days! It was a great way for the corporate staff to meet each other and get to know each other.” Joni Stucki, Insuring Specialist Family day at the Zoo “Zoo Day was a lot of fun for myself and my family. My 2-year- old daughter loves animals so she was excited to see all of them, especially the monkeys and when she got to feed the giraffes. The ice cream is always a nice touch as well!” Sioeli Kupu, Loan Officer
Some take us back... A catered Christmas Eve “On Christmas Eve day, we had a huge catered breakfast and two awards were given for company-nominated corporate employees of the year. Then, we had a White Elephant gift party and left for the holiday at noon.” Joni Stucki, Insuring Specialist From Hawaii to Idaho (with room for the horses) “The nicest thing that CCM has done for me, besides the amazing operations team, is that I was able to move from Hawaii to Idaho and still be able to do business with my contacts in Hawaii. It has honestly been the most amazing experience! We moved to Idaho so that we can have a home with enough land to have our five horses at the home. I get to be with my horses and ride them daily, which I love, all the while of being able to work for a company that I love.” Trish Lorenzo, Branch Manager Loan application bling “Recently Consumer Direct–Utah has implemented the application chain! It is meant to be used as encouragement as a visual representation of our peers getting an application or pre-qualification. It’s fun to see others with the chain and it bounce from person to person throughout the day!” Sierra Herring, Loan Officer
Surprise Visits to Corporate “I have been with Team Massey for more than four years (December will be year five). We used to take a day trip to the corporate office and interrupt everyone’s day with thank you cards and lunch to show our appreciation. It takes a village to conquer this mortgage world and I am so thankful to have a strong team behind me, my Denver work family and behind-the-scenes support from the corporate folks! These photos are from the last time we did our team trip to Draper (2018). I hope we can continue the tradition in the near future!” Katherine Gutierrez, Loan Officer Celebration Dinners “I try to do Team Celebration Dinners several times a year as we’re such a small branch and it’s good for camaraderie. Our favorite time of year though is the holiday season, from late November to early January. We decorate up the entire office inside and out. Being a historic North End home, people just love driving by and seeing our lit up office at night—with five different theme trees to boot.” Suzi Boyle, Branch Manager Take Me Out to the Ball Game! “Some of my best memories at CCM are the annual Bees baseball game or just hanging with co-workers acting like teenagers. Getting the whole office together for annual events is such a fun experience. The camaraderie and hanging together in amazing outdoor settings takes all the stress of mortgage away. I’ve had such a great opportunity of working with some awesome people.” Jenny Lowe, VP of Processing ...they're called memories. Jeremy Irons
HR CORNER Hello to the team! What is Castle & Cooke Mortgage? It’s not just the buildings we work in, the swag we have on our desks, or even the loans we close. Castle & Cooke Mortgage is the people who work here and the community we’ve created together. It shows up in how we care for each other day in and day out—from morning “hello’s” to light-hearted Fuze banter to local produce shared in our break rooms. It shows up in our Castle Cares initiatives and our employee recognition events. It also shows up in how we do business: the way we work together as a team is our greatest strength. I recently heard about a new loan officer who raved about how she could ask any question without fear of judgment (or fear that a loan would be stolen out from under her). I was ecstatic, for two reasons. First, I was proud that we’ve created an open-minded, collaborative culture that welcomes professionals at all levels. Second, I was delighted that we have the in-house expertise we need to answer hard questions (and get it right, the first time). I hope all our people feel the same level of trust and comfort this LO did. When we band together, we can learn, grow, and build this castle bigger and better than ever before. Thanks so much for all you do for our company, and for each other! At Castle & Cooke Mortgage, our people are everything. Katie Evans, VP of Human Resources
BIRTHDAYS Keeley James, Sept. 1 Brittany Binder, Sept. 13 Janessa Jensen, Sept. 21 Colleen Fisher, Sept. 1 Caleb Cannon, Sept. 14 Ramon Beltran, Sept. 24 Daniel Prada, Sept. 1 John Thompson, Sept. 14 Jeffrey Hannaman, Sept. 24 Sierra Herring, Sept. 2 Shelveen Prakash, Sept. 15 Kathleen Provost, Sept. 24 Miguel Gutierrez, Sept. 4 Robert Woolridge, Sept. 16 Adrienne Rizzuto, Sept. 26 Pamela McDonald, Sept. 5 Marlene Farias, Sept. 16 Lisa Cash, Sept. 28 Daniel Jasper, Sept. 7 Dusty Coleman, Sept. 17 Emma Howie, Sept. 28 Peter Borowczyk, Sept. 8 Karen Maystead, Sept. 18 Giselle Hatch, Sept. 29 Patricia Lorenzo, Sept. 9 Randy Bunn, Sept. 20 Misty Kindt, Sept. 30 Cindy Soper, Sept. 10 Heidi Stewart, Sept. 20 Rosemary Nielsen, Sept. 30 Andrew Newson, Sept. 12 Missy Atencio, Sept. 20 Cara Blevins, Sept. 13 Kirstin Christensen, Sept. 21 ANNIVERS RIES Joni Stucki, 16 years Samantha Beeson, 2 years Gregory Price, 12 years Lori Kodama, 2 years Stefanie Godinez, 1 year Nicholas Weber, 7 years Cheyanne Frandsen, 2 years Samuel Cannon, 1 year Vickie Harris, 6 years Tennille Rodgers, 2 years Travis Baltes, 1 year JeNean McKellar, 5 years Veronica Marks, 2 years Debra Jones, 1 year Michelle Lynch, 5 years Kristi Fuller, 2 years Shannon Beacham, 1 year Randy Bunn, 4 years Jim Modrycki, 2 years Pamela Castro, 1 year Richard Webb, 3 years Rachael Dennis, 1 year Teon Simmons, 1 year Heather Meier, 2 years Sioeli Kupu, 1 year Sean Trease, 1 year WELCOME! Christopher Julian Sabrina Kohn Loan Officer Loan Officer Trainee Brianna Tarco Avdiel Huerta Loan Officer Loan Officer Trainee Peter Borowczyk Emma Howie Funder Loan Officer Jamelle Kusi Safwan Aburayan Loan Officer Loan Officer Trainee Logan Heese Loan Officer
Texas Consumer Direct Finds Gratitude and Positivity in Packing Potatoes The Consumer Direct team in Texas recently visited the North Texas Food Bank, volunteering to help feed local families in need. “We helped feed 8,400 families in the DFW area, and packed over 10,000 pounds of onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes,” said Steve Mix, national director of Consumer Direct. The work entailed packing 18-pound bags with the produce, assembly- line style. It was fast paced, with some great tunes playing in the background. “COVID has caused more trouble than I can ever remember, with joblessness and homelessness,” said Steve Crossman, Consumer Direct sales manager. “It seemed like the right thing to do.” He added that community service brings a sense of gratitude for all we have in life, and gratitude brings you closer to your peers, co-workers, and loved ones.
“I think everyone truly enjoyed this project, the energy in the office yesterday afternoon was buzzing with positivity.” Steve Crossman, Consumer Direct Sales Manager
Marketing Sorts Donations at Utah Food Bank The marketing team visited the Utah the food bank coordinated 44.1 million Food Bank in early September to help meals via 203 partner agencies. organize donations of food to be delivered to families in need. For Marketing Systems Admin Melissa Fairbourn, the event was more than The afternoon included sorting and just service. packaging hundreds of items, from peanut butter to ready-to-eat lentils \"Volunteering as a department allowed and baby food to baking supplies. They us to not only help people in our were boxed and sorted onto pallets en community but also bond more as a route to schools, local food banks, and team,” she said. mobile pantries around the state. Marketing Project Coordinator Kaylee \"It really opens your eyes the level of Haro agreed. care and organization that goes into the donations,” said Marketing VP Scott \"Volunteering at the Utah Food Bank was Kirkessner. “Everything was meticulously not only a team building experience, separated, checked, and repacked so but a fulfilling one,” she said. “It felt multiple families could benefit.\" amazing to be able to serve those that are less fortunate in our community. Volunteer efforts throughout the year I personally can’t wait for the next at the Utah Food Bank are equal to the volunteer opportunity!\" contributions of 58 full-time employees, according to one employee. In 2020,
Home Loans for Employees and Their Families We are all about helping families build strong financial futures through the benefits of homeownership, and that includes you! One of your benefits as an employee of Castle & Cooke Mortgage is new home loans and refinance at discounted pricing. Loans for employees and their spouses Loans originated through Loans originated through Consumer Direct: Retail loan officers: • 50 bps in pricing concession • 100 bps in pricing concession • 100% CCM admin fees waived • 50% CCM admin fees waived Loans for immediate family members Loans transferred to Loans completed by LOs for their Consumer Direct: family members: • 50 bps in pricing concession • 100 bps in pricing concession • 100% CCM admin fees waived • 50% CCM admin fees waived Contact your branch manager or any Consumer Direct sales manager to get started! Conditions: Non-QM, brokered, jumbo, and bond/state housing loans do not qualify for this program. Employees may not work on loans for themselves or their spouses and may not be compensated for such loans. Immediate family members include parents, siblings, and children who are biological, adopted, or step. For immediate family loans completed by a loan officer, the loan officer will be required to certify the relationship between themselves and the borrower to qualify. 0821CCMFLY045
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT Amanda Church Loan Processor | Draper, UT Amanda was born and raised in Utah “(Amanda) really cares for these and still calls the Beehive State home. borrowers and has a surplus of tls“ioItw'mtlheeaeftvimhgeehacatraerrtlirle, wamdnhedotMwoI oaemmhm.a”lyuveckhoyingeh“aTmshcaehziontogel amlknonoaomnIwsianl,e”amdtgesedat“ihSdwAhimsheeca'Asnonlamydsniatpsaaacmfnooyarm,TzaoerinnersrgdceosItagob,snesilettwiheitohevtniooer. Outside work, Amanda lucky enough she deserves to really be loves traveling to new to work with seen by everyone.” states and camping with has been a her family. Amanda is grateful for the wonderful opportunities she’s had at Back in the office, she does Castle & Cooke Mortgage, more than just process experience.” loves that she still learns loans in our corporate something new at work offices—Amanda also trains new every day, and loves her team members of the team and is known Fascinating Fact: Amanda joined for jumping in whenever another Castle & Cooke Mortgage back when processor needs a hand. we had a Fort Union branch, but “Amanda is a vital piece to our eventually moved to the Draper office. branches success,” said Draper After six years as part of Team Castle, Branch Manager Jessie Van Wagoner. she left to “see the other side.” “Amanda consistently goes above and “Worst mistake I ever made,” she said. beyond to make certain we provide “So glad Castle & Cooke (Mortgage) exceptional service to our clients and accepted me back.” consistent turn times to our referral partners. Simply put, Amanda is a rockstar and we couldn’t do what we do without her!” Amanda’s dedication is due to her passion for giving back and her love for solving problems, she explained. It shows up in her success rate—she’s often among the top 10 processors company-wide.
EMPLOYEE HIGHLIGHT Erica Allred Disclosure Desk Team Lead | Draper, UT “Everyone is going through a hard time right now and some people hide it better than others. If I'm having a hard day, someone being kind makes a big impact.” Disclosure Desk Team Lead Erica Allred has been part of Team Castle for almost two and a half years, and she’s known for going above and beyond to help others every day. She’s also a great trainer, and leads with compassion, kindness, and optimism, said Compliance Disclosure Coordinator Aleksandra Shull, who nominated her for recognition in this publication. “I love the people,” Erica explained. I've learned more in this job then I ever have. People here are so knowledgeable and if I have questions, I know there will be people that can help me. Erica grew up in Sandy, Utah, and has always had a soft spot for theater—she grew up going to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City every year. She also loves aesthetics, and is proud to have graduated from the National Institute of Medical Aesthetics while working full time. Whether at work or enjoying life outside the office, Erica is committed to treating others with patience and kindness. Fascinating Fact: Erica was adopted but was able to find her birth family through DNA testing: “I’m incredibly lucky to be able to be a part of two families.”
Dennis BRANCH HIGHLIGHT Porter South Ogden, Utah: Branch Manager A Branch of Heroes Heather South Ogden, Utah, is home to not only the highest- McCormick performing branch in the country: it’s also home to a national competitive cycling champion who goes by Branch Ops Manager the name Darren Goff. Abbigail Goff, a loan officer, has competed in both road and Clawson mountain bike competitions, but he’s not alone in his love for all things outdoors. Everyone on the team Loan Coordinator shares a passion for outdoor adventure, a dedication to hard work, and a hero spirit that shows up in how Andrea they treat borrowers. Clippinger The team includes many veterans of the loan industry, Loan Processor but is also home to veterans of the armed forces and local law enforcement. Brad Durrant Darren helped protect and serve for 21 years. Loan Officer Trent Olsen retired from the South Ogden Loan Officer Police Department after 25 years of service. Loan Officer Blake Erickson served in the U.S. Air Force as did Blake Jessica, who is still a member of the U.S. Air Reserve. Erickson But they aren’t resting on their laurels. Instead, they Loan Officer work hard to create outstanding loan experiences for their customers. And an Experience.com ranking of Stefanie 4.92/5 is the proof in the pudding. Godinez Production Coordinator Darren Goff Loan Officer Mike Harrison Loan Officer Christopher Julian Loan Officer Jessica McCormick Junior Loan Officer
“Great communication, very helpful, quick to respond, Kim and very informative,” wrote Paola, who closed a loan Nutt with Loan Officer Blu Trujillo in Layton, Utah. “Definitely recommend!” Loan Officer Another customer sang the praises of Loan Officer Trent Wendi Quigley: Olsen “Wendy can be trusted to provide accurate information Loan Officer to her clients,” wrote Kathleen of Pleasant View, Utah. “She searches for the best products to make the Samuel transaction easy, fast, and financially sound. I have Owens-Hess used Wendi twice to secure a mortgage and have been pleased.” Loan Officer But what can other branches do to follow their example Wendi (and perhaps even boot them from the top spot)? Quigley “Work hard, stay dedicated, and stick by your team Loan Officer and co-workers,” Branch Operations Manager Heather McCormick said with a smile. “Be ready to learn Scott new things each day—the mortgage world always Stolpp changes.” Loan Officer Fascinating Fact: The South Ogden branch is the honorary home of both Loan Officer Taylor Madsen Bryce and Transaction Manager Leif Eastvold, though they’re Tueller technically part of the Clearfield branch. They were coming by so often, they got their own desks! Loan Officer Blu Trujillo Loan Officer Michelle Young Loan Officer Taylor Madsen Lending Manager (Clearfield) Leif Eastvold Loan Officer Assistant (Clearfield)
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