Why I Am a Mortgage Lender

My wife Katherine and I have lived in our Overland Park home for more than 25 years. Our two daughters are now grown with children of their own. Our home continues to be the center of our family’s existence, and I feel strongly that everyone should have the opportunity to own a home if they choose. Financial literacy and home buyer education is an essential part of evaluating one's choice of housing. As an FNBO community lender, I bring my many years of mortgage/housing experience to a bank that is just as committed to affordable housing as I am.

My Experience

During my career in mortgage lending, I have worked a full menu of everyday, single family loan products, including what I am most known for in the Kansas City market: renovation loans. My initial involvement in renovation lending came from my volunteer work with low- to moderate-income borrowers in urban, rural, and Indian Country. I learned that my borrowers were often first-generation buyers who needed tailor-made loan programs to match their property issues as well as a solid educational foundation as part of their homebuying journey.

Interesting to Know

Through a company I previously founded, I was one of the first mortgage lenders to approach Indian reservations and tribal jurisdictions to assist in homeownership, visiting more than 100 tribal governments west of the Mississippi. As a consultant for Neighborhood Housing Services at the Navajo Nation, we drove the development of financial instruments (note and mortgage) that could be used throughout Indian Country. With the assistance of Fannie Mae, HUD, VA, USDA, and many tribal and nonprofit providers, that initiative became a reality.