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20 Years of Benchmark: STRENGTH and REPUTATION

Celebrating 20 Years Of Mortgage Excellence

by I Am Benchmark

20 Years of Benchmark: STRENGTH and REPUTATION

In 1999, a couple of friends who worked as loan officers decided that they could do more. The mortgage industry needed something new and better. The time was right to prioritize the client experience. They knew that doing better meant putting the best team together. They wanted to create a company that would set standards; a company that would lead the industry not only in numbers, but most importantly, in their signature first-class home buying experience. In August of the same year, Benchmark Mortgage was born.

Starting the way many great companies have, Benchmark has grown from a single office in Dallas, Texas and a small team to over 100 branches in 47 sates across the nation. We were founded on core values that we have based, and continue to base every business decision on. These values – Success, Excellence, Positive Attitude, Dynamic, and Relationship – have shaped us into the company we are today. We are grateful for our team, their relationships with real estate partners, and the thousands of clients who have trusted Benchmark to finance their first home, their next home, or to refinance their forever home. We couldn’t have made it this far without you, and the tapestry of our story is embedded with the thousands of threads in our progress so far.

At Benchmark, it has never been enough to do things well. We are proud of our commitment of striving to exceed expectations. We are proud of being more than just a mortgage company. Benchmark created an event to give back to, and celebrate, the brave men and women who have served our country. In 2012, the first annual Boot’n & Shoot’n event took place to raise money for veterans. Boot’n & Shoot’n has become a staple for our nationwide family to come, join, and give back to our veteran and first responder heroes. As we reflect on our 20th year, we celebrate that Boot’n & Shoot’n 2019 raised over $1million for the Brain Treatment Foundation.

Benchmark’s love for helping those who serve never wavered, and in 2017 we launched our initiative to change the way VA lending is done. Veterans deserve better. With our history of striving to excel, it was only a matter of time before this same model was applied to help veterans make use of their VA loan benefits. In 2018, Benchmark sponsored the Patriot Tour by Team Never Quit.

If you are a past client, you are part of our story. If you are a current or future client, welcome to the family. We are Benchmark.

Here’s to a bright future!

Benchmark brings you home.

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Benchmark Took Their Talents to South Florida with Todd Duncan

by Jason Haeger

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.