How many Halloween fans do I have out there? Ever since arriving on your planet back in 2018, I’ve witnessed the steady growth in the popularity of the holiday. As I try and process this in my alien cranium, I become somewhat perplexed. Halloween equates to scary stuff, and scary stuff logically leads to being frightened. How is that popular and pleasurable?
On my home planet of Amicitia, we generally try to avoid anything frightful. Just imagining bumping into a Garthok in the middle of the night sends chills down my tentacles. Or dealing with a raging and angry reptilian like Sarris makes me want to hide under my console and not come out!
Here on Earth, you have monsters and ghouls and zombies and… mortgages! Yes, mortgages. I’ve said it many times: For individuals who are not familiar with the home loan process, mortgages can represent fear and anxiety, primarily because of all the unknowns. Why just today, I heard someone on a call mention that mortgages can be scary, particularly for the younger generations who have yet to experience the thrill that is homeownership.
As credit union mortgage lenders, it’s our job to take the fear out of mortgages. During the annual Partner Conference earlier this month, attendees were witness to several of our colleagues who have successfully removed the fear and got more of their members into homes. They were all recognized during the Annual Awards Luncheon – I’d like to take a moment to celebrate these most deserving Monster Mortgage Movers and recognize them (Note: The awards are based on activity from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.):
Most Loans Originated
- Large Credit Unions: Desco Federal Credit Union, Portsmouth, Ohio
- Mid-Sized Credit Unions: Midwest Community Federal Credit Union, Defiance, Ohio
- Small Credit Unions: TopMark Federal Credit Union, Cridersville, Ohio
Purchase Money Lender of the Year: Midwest Community Federal Credit Union, Defiance, Ohio
Originator of the Year: Ana Petre, TopMark Federal Credit Union, Cridersville, Ohio
Lender of the Year: Desco Federal Credit Union, Portsmouth, Ohio
Marketer of the Year: Dynamic Federal Credit Union, Celina, Ohio
CU Select Partner of the Year: Natco Credit Union, Richmond, Ind.
New Partner of the Year: HealthShare Credit Union, Greensboro, N.C.
Government Partner of the Year: BCU, Vernon Hills, Ill.
The success of these partner credit unions is downright scary – congratulations to all of them! Let’s also give it up to the following loan originators who helped 100+ members with homeownership:
- Jennifer Bacon, Wright-Patt Credit Union – 172 members assisted
- Angela Scheidweiler, Wright-Patt Credit Union – 130 members assisted
- Ashton Petrie, Wright-Patt Credit Union — 121 members assisted
- Mike Davis, Wright-Patt Credit Union – 104 members assisted
- Jennifer Kettlewell, CU Select/myCUmortgage – 101 members assisted
These LOs certainly put the “More” in “Mortgages” for their members, as did Terri Brancucci from Trax Federal Credit Union in Lakeland, Fla. She was awarded the Tim Mislansky Belief Award – I encourage you to read all about Terri in my previous blog post, Out of the Corner.
In addition to these impactful awards, the luncheon wouldn’t be complete without the Susan Edwards Scholarship, which was awarded to the State Highway Patrol Federal Credit Union in Columbus, Ohio. 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.
What a great testament to taking the fear out of mortgages! Congratulations to all these partner credit unions and loan originators who, together, helped hundreds and hundreds of members realize that the path to homeownership is anything but a nightmare. It’s a dream that they all helped make a reality.
And there is NOTHING scary about that! Happy Halloween!