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.