Category: Corporate

Announcing “The Veterans Homefront by Benchmark”

by I Am Benchmark

NO MORE

These are the words that Benchmark has adopted when it comes to Veteran lending. Benchmark is proud to kick off The Veterans Home Front initiative which aims to do right by our Military men and women. The veteran lending space has long been a marketplace in which Veterans have been taken advantage of, have not been given proper service, or have been subject to predatory lending. Benchmark believes that our heroes who choose to serve this nation deserve the outstanding service that Benchmark has been providing since 1991. We are dedicated to doing right by the veteran, and have created an educational course that will certify our Loan Officers to be VA Certified. This certification will ensure that we not only get the veteran in the best loan product for them, but also are able to assist our veterans with maximizing their VA benefits.

Visit The Veterans Homefront
https://theveteranshomefront.com

Benchmark is the proud founder and title sponsor of Boot’n & Shoot’n (bootshoot.com), a veteran giveback event that has been called “The most patriotic day in Texas” by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. To date, Boot’n & Shoot’n has raised over $4 Million and has been able to provide over 30 scholarships to veterans so they can receive state of the art treatment for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress from The Brain Treatment Foundation. We are excited to kick off this initiative that will allow Benchmark to welcome our veteran heroes home.

Learn more about Boot’n & Shoot’n at bootshoot.com.

Benchmark Named Top 100 Places To Work

by I Am Benchmark

We are proud to announce that Benchmark Mortgage was named in the Top 100 Places To Work For 2017 by The Dallas Morning News!

We are honored by this award, especially when considering what it takes to be among the rare air of the other 34 winning Mid Size Businesses who were also named to this list. To quote Doug Claffey, CEO of WorkplaceDynamics*,

“This is far more than a popularity contest. What distinguishes a Top 100 workplace is a fundamental difference in philosophy about what drives success. Winners put employees at the center of things. They create an environment that unleashes potential, inspires performance and, in the process, boosts the bottom line.”

Cheryll Hall of The Dallas Morning News writes*,

“No company has ever made our Top 100 list based solely on pay, perks and benefits. Not one.”

We have always operated according to our Core Values of Positive Attitude, Relationships, Dynamic, Excellence, and Success. We have always provided unparalleled support for our branch partners (80+ branches nationwide). Over the years, we have cultivated these values with our approach to the mortgage business as The Benchmark Way.

We never needed an award for giving back to those who have vowed to give it all (http://bootshoot.com), to support our team members in time of need, or to simply do the right thing as members of our community. Even so, the Top 100 is a good reminder to take a look in the mirror, and evaluate whether our priorities are as aligned as they once were. This year, we were given confirmation that we are still on target.

Thank you, Dallas Morning News!

For more information about Benchmark, please visit https://whois.benchmark.us

* https://www.dallasnews.com/business/top-100-workplaces/2017/03/05/company-winner-enter-top-100-places-work-competition

United Lending becomes Benchmark Mortgage

by I Am Benchmark

PLANO, TX—United Lending of Austin, TX, a mortgage lender founded in 2008 by David McMillan and Tommy Nelms, is set to become Benchmark Mortgage, effective December 1, 2017. Offering a wide range of mortgage products, United Lending has been recognized by the Austin American Statesman and the Austin Business Journal multiple times for their excellence in mortgage lending. “We offer a vast array of mortgage products, and we work with all types of clients, from first-time home buyers to multi-million dollar homeowners and everything in between,” says McMillan. “We are consistently one of the top five lenders in Austin on the Austin Business Journal’s Book of Lists. Recently, we even hit the No. 2 spot! By focusing on top talent, we’re able to let the growth take care of itself.”

With a wide range of available products, and high standards to match, United Lending sought a similarly minded partner to support their growth. “Our individual team has been United Lending for more than 10 years. We value a strong partnership with corporate, back office and the warehouse-side of the business. So as we grew, it became obvious that we needed to find a partner that supported this growth,” Nelms says.

United Lending has achieved success by focusing on their most valuable assets: their people, and their clients. “Our main priority is to create the best office environment with the best people in the industry. We have multiple people on our staff, both in production and operations, who have been with us for 20 years or more,” Nelms explains. “Ultimately, it boils down to communication. We strive to provide a hassle-free experience with over-the-top communication. We over-communicate to all parties involved, so not only are there no surprises, but everyone knows what is going on before they have to pick up the phone and call,” adds McMillan.

It was the shared focus on relationships and excellence which eventually resulted in a partnership with Benchmark Mortgage. “We decided to join them for many reasons. But once again, the main reason was the people. Jim McMahan, one of the owners, and an industry icon, and I have had a relationship from a previous company. It has been a great decision for us,” explains McMillan.

Although this relationship is not recent, rebranding was a slight challenge. “We didn’t want to do it right away because we have done a very good job branding United Lending in Austin over the years. It made sense to adopt their name as we grew into Houston and San Antonio, but now we will bring the three cities under the same name.” Nelms explains.

Beginning December 1st, United Lending will adopt the Benchmark Mortgage name, representing the company’s core values and founding principles. Tommy Nelms describes the practical result of these ideas, commonly referred to as “The Benchmark Way”: “When you work with Benchmark Mortgage, you can always expect to work with experienced, knowledgeable people who want to make the lending process as easy and seamless as possible. One of the biggest changes we’ve made in recent years is how we support originators teams with operational teams. We are getting great files to the processing department, and then, in turn, to the underwriters. Quick closings, minimal conditions, approvals in less than two weeks, supporting the originators in such a way that they are not bogged down in paperwork, but are able to work on the referral relationships and create new ones.”

Benchmark Mortgage’s strong emphasis on building trust through relationships makes this partnership mutually beneficial. With United Lending changing to the Benchmark Mortgage name, they proudly share in the same heritage of excellence which began in 1999.

Benchmark Took Their Talents to South Florida with Todd Duncan

by I Am Benchmark

Every year, the nation wide Benchmark family comes together during our annual Production Trip to celebrate our Core Values, and to learn ways to better serve you, our amazing clients. This year, we invited Todd Duncan to join us.

Last week in Miami, our team sat down with Mr. Duncan to discuss High Trust Leadership, leveraging relationships, and delivering amazing client experiences.

Here are three highlights from Todd Duncan’s talk:

“Trust is the hardest thing to gain. It’s the easiest to lose. And the most important to hold onto.” — Todd Duncan

Todd is right. If you have ever had to earn someone’s trust, you know. It takes persistence, and it can take a long time. For something that takes so much to acquire, it is strikingly easy to lose. Trust is developed when expectations arise, which are then consistently and faithfully fulfilled. It only takes one unmet expectation for a crack to form in the bedrock of trust. Just like a house on a bad foundation, a relationship standing on unsure footing is precarious indeed.

“The more you do what you don’t want, the more of what you don’t want you will get.” — Todd Duncan

Following the logic of the above, it follows that the more you do what you want to do, the more you will get what you want. When Benchmark was founded in 1999, our founders had a vision of not only helping families achieve the American dream of owning their own home, but of being a mortgage company which the best in our industry would want to join. Our core values were formed during a round table discussion several years into our journey, and they resonate to this day. As of writing, we have grown to more than 80 branches nationwide, with an annual trip which we unofficially and affectionately refer to as our family reunion. At Benchmark, we do not wish to deliver an image to deliver numbers; we wish to deliver service to develop relationships. It turns out, the more we have done that which we set out to do, the more success we have built. So focus on the positive. The future looks bright for those who do.

“To be an effective leader, it is important to reflect regularly on your growth, and the growth of your team.” — Todd Duncan

Good leadership requires perspective. Looking back at your team’s, as well as your own progress and growth, will help you gain a high level perspective and sense of direction. Looking ahead, are you pointed the right direction? Look back, how often have you wavered? How far have you come? In order to lead effectively, it helps to have a clear vantage point in both directions.

We are a community of mortgage professionals: experts to help you through every step of the process. Our team of loan officers, underwriters, appraisers, and funders work tirelessly to close your loan as quickly as possible. We measure our success on the growth and efficiency of our entire team to deliver the best service and experience possible. Learn more about Benchmark at https://whois.benchmark.us.

Setting the Benchmark

by I Am Benchmark

We set the Benchmark by our dedication to our five core values. These values extend beyond mere talking points; they are our way of life.

Relationships

In the mortgage business, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of each individual loan. With Benchmark, it is never only about the transaction. We keep the focus on our local community and the relationship with our client. Building and maintaining relationships always comes first. All other things are secondary. The individuals that make up the Benchmark family were thoughtfully and strategically selected to make a difference in their communities.

Positive Attitude

Attitudes are contagious. We want ours to be the difference between a good experience and an excellent experience for our clients.
The Benchmark culture thrives because of the great attitude each team member holds. In a world with so many unknowns, we have each made the conscious decision to conduct ourselves with a positive attitude at all times, in all areas of our lives.

Dynamic

In an industry that is so rapidly changing, Benchmark thrives because of our adaptability, creativity, innovation, marketability, and courage. It’s not enough to keep up. Instead, our strategy is to always stay ahead by constantly asking ourselves ‘how can we take this a step further’? Our dynamic approach has driven our success from the beginning.

Excellence

Benchmark has a record of standing out since 1999, because of our dedication to going the extra mile. It has never been enough to simply ‘do things well.’ We strive to do all things exceptionally well. When there’s a need, Benchmark seeks the best way to fill it.

In 2012, Chief Visionary Officer and Cofounder of Benchmark Mortgage, Stewart Hunter saw a pressing need to care for our veterans. For 6 years, as of writing, Benchmark has sponsored Boot’n & Shoot’n, a fundraiser that benefits veterans and their families by providing scholarships to the Brain Treatment Foundation and Third Option. All Benchmark branches come together annually to raise money for the men and women who have served our country. Boot’n & Shoot’n is our way of giving back and making sure that we stay focused on what really matters: people taking care of people.

Success

Success is how we ensure that we are headed in the right direction. It is achieved when the Benchmark passion aligns with each of our core values. Thinking past the ‘now’ is our strength. We are constantly evaluating our success based on current performance and how we can excel in the future.

Closed Memorial Day

by I Am Benchmark

In observance of Memorial Day, the Benchmark Corporate Office will be closed.

Celebrating Our Veterans

by I Am Benchmark

Benchmark is thankful for all United States veterans and the sacrifices they’ve made for our country.

We asked some of our own veterans here at Benchmark to share what makes them proud to have served our great nation.

Jasper photograph

I am proud to have served in the US Navy. Volunteering four years of my life seems such a small sacrifice to protect this great country we live in. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

-Jasper, Navy

jerrod-pic

At the time I joined, war had already been waged for 6 years. I felt I had the ability and responsibility to enlist and fight in hopes that my family, friends and future children would not have to. The experience left me with a much different outlook on our world. Nothing has ever or will ever fulfill me in the way that my time did. That’s why Benchmark is such a great fit for me. It supplies the tight knit and likeminded environment of people who come here daily to accomplish one mission.

–Jerrod, Army

kathleen

I wanted to do something different than the other girls. My time with the National Guard was spent helping the immediate community. You’re there at the worst of times. I loved that in those situations you get instant gratification knowing you’re making a real difference.

-Kathleen, National Guard