Habits of a top 200 originator – Part 1

Recently I wrote about the Top 200 originations of 2013. Besides doing a lot of loans these folks have common characteristics. I thought I would take some blog posts over the next few weeks to profile a few of the Credit Union success stories and their best practices as originators.

Jonathan Merkel is a loan origination at Wright-Patt Credit Union. Last year, Jonathan helped 496 families buy a home or save money with a low cost refinance. This equated to $65 million in mortgage loans. WOW!

I asked Jonathan why he is successful as an originator and what advice he has for other originators. Here’s what he told me….

1. Good communication is a must! You always have to keep an open line of communication.  Whether it is with a member, realtor, supervisor, etc. you have to be willing to communicate.  The more you communicate, the more people can trust and enjoy working with you.  People love communication so use it.

continue reading »