With barely a chance to stop and catch our breath, we see them… coming right on the heels of Halloween are the winter holidays, rolling in like a Mannheim Steamroller! I was just getting used to the witches and skeletons and monsters (oh my!), and now I find myself flipping the switch to holiday decorations, lights, craft shows, snow and the Grinch.
Hold on. Aren’t we forgetting something? Thanksgiving Day?! Hello?!
Although I don’t partake in the traditional Thanksgiving feast that most of my colleagues enjoy, as my Amicitian dietary delights would probably not be well-received at the table, I do relish a day that we pause and give thanks. And of course, there’s football, family, parades and travels that take us over the river and through the woods. It’s quite a special holiday that deserves its fair share of attention and respect.
But let’s face it – the very mention of Thanksgiving brings visions of seasonal culinary delights to the craniums of those who celebrate. Every entrée, side dish and dessert on the table is an award-winner and should be recognized as such! After all, it’s the same approach myCUmortgage takes during its Annual Partner Conference Awards.
This year’s awards were presented on October 18 during the annual luncheon, and did we ever have some winners! Considering the challenging real estate and mortgage market we’ve all faced over the last year, these credit unions and individual loan originators successfully took the challenge head-on, all in the name of helping more members with homeownership.
I encourage you to read the official announcement of the winners but also wanted to take this opportunity to highlight each one individually. So, grab your utensils, put on your bibs and get ready for a cornucopia of award-winning credit unions and LOs:
Purchase Money Lender of the Year: This award recognizes a credit union for outstanding efforts and results in helping members buy homes, and this year’s winner is Midwest Community Federal Credit Union! The team at Midwest strategically offered a variety of great products from myCUmortgage, including HomeReady®, and provided members with a selection of in-house products that are very competitively priced in their market. They also took advantage of strong referrals and social media.
Mortgage Lender of the Year: This award is not necessarily for the partner credit union who closed the most loans but rather focuses on who had a successful year in terms of helping members with homeownership through new efforts. This year’s winner is Desco Federal Credit Union. As one of our original three beta testers of the OpenClose LOS as well as the new Total Expert CRM and marketing system, Desco has always been great at adopting to change while navigating a rapidly evolving market.
New Partner of the Year: Recognizing a credit union who has been with myCUmortgage for less than one year and achieved outstanding results, this year’s winner is BCU! Getting its start as the credit union for Baxter Healthcare employees and their families, BCU is one of the nation’s Top 100 credit unions, serving over 325,000 members in the United States and Puerto Rico. Nearing $6 billion in assets, they take pride in being more than a credit union and instead describe themselves as the “Financial Well-Being” benefit partner for America’s best companies and the communities they serve.
Marketer of the Year: This year’s winner, Staley Credit Union, combines business with creativity so their members understand all the great services they offer. Staley markets their services using social media, local billboards, business openings and sponsorships throughout the area to keep their name in front of their community. They also volunteer at community events, showing their credit union pride by wearing logos on t-shirts and even aprons when helping in a community kitchen.
Originator of the Year: This award recognizes an individual Mortgage Loan Originator who has achieved outstanding results in numerous categories. This year’s winner is Ann Tong from Millstream Area Credit Union! Ann’s goal in mortgage lending is to show that Millstream offers great member service, resulting in positive word of mouth and supporting growth. Ann knows she must be different from the competition, so she dedicates time to help educate members on what is needed to move their loan forward and how to handle any issues that could arise along the way. Ann makes sure her borrowers don’t have any surprises at the closing table.
CU Select Partner of the Year: This award recognizes a CU Select level credit union for outstanding efforts and results achieved by developing and maintaining a clear market strategy. This year’s winner is Faith Community United Credit Union! myCUmortgage partnered with Faith Community, running every mortgage purchase and refinance opportunity through their team and discussing the best options for their members, including government loans. Overall, they’ve seen success for their members and their credit union.
Government Lender of the Year: This year’s winner, CSE Federal Credit Union, demonstrated outstanding results in their efforts around lending strategies and tactics related to increasing government loan volume, including FHA, VA and USDA loans. They created a steady drumbeat throughout the year by hosting homebuyer seminars, financial education and going in depth with members about their financial situation and what products would benefit them most.
myCUmortgage presented Eastern Indiana Federal Credit Union with the Susan Edwards Scholarship. Named after the late Susan Edwards, a former employee of myCUmortgage and fierce advocate for small credit unions, the scholarship is awarded annually to a smaller credit union that demonstrates excellence in assisting members with homeownership. The scholarship funds attendance to the myCUmortgage Partner Conference.
Finally, let’s look at the numbers. Given the challenges faced in the market, it was exciting to see Jennifer Bacon of Wright-Patt Credit Union recognized for assisting 140 members with homeownership over the award period! It’s a shining example of a loan originator showing us all that it can be done! And, also from Wright-Patt Credit Union, Angel Scheidweiler was awarded the first annual Monster Kudos Award!
From the credit union perspective, the following partners had the most members assisted in their size categories:
- Large Credit Unions: Desco Federal Credit Union
- Mid-Sized Credit Unions (TIE): Horizon Federal Credit Union AND Midwest Community Federal Credit Union
- Small Credit Unions: TopMark Federal Credit Union
And there is one other winner of the most prestigious individual award presented by myCUmortgage, but you’ll have to wait until my next post for that one, as it’s the main course of the awards feast!
Congratulations again to all the winners, and here’s to another successful year of helping more credit union members with homeownership!
HomeReady® is a trademark of Fannie Mae.