“Sometimes… The Bigger You Are, The Slower You Perform” Northern States Funding Group, Inc. (NSFG) talks about the advantages that Realtors® experience when working with Mortgage Lenders who are more localized in the Realtors® demographic. We recently sat down with mortgage industry veteran Gene Reeber, President of Northern States Funding Group, Inc. (NSFG) to discuss today’s mortgage business challenges and how Realtors® can improve business by simply working with localized mortgage lenders, who are more focused on upholding the promise of exceptional customer service. Let’s open the discussion with a briefing about yourself then walk us through the birth of NSFG: “I will keep the part about me brief. What I have learned over the course of my 35 + years as a business owner is that a company’s true success is dependent upon the quality of people who are committed in the oath of upholding the promise of exceptional customer service. NSFG’s core business remains focused on delivering the highest level of customer service to it’s Realtor®
clients. We are a close-‐knit team and we are all cross-‐trained to help each other expedite on deliveries, period”. Reeber embarked on the entrepreneurial journey of business ownership, first-‐ by working his way through the many levels of business and management, then learning the intricacies of
real estate and mortgage lending, eventually opening the doors to Northern States Funding Group, Inc.
NSFG is a: 1. Full-‐Service lender with an end-‐to-‐end
streamlined process that expedites all from ONE local location
2. Small company with big lending authority: (VA Direct, DE approved, in-‐house
Conventional and USDA underwriting) 3. Full-‐Service lender with the ability to present
and approve additional lending options where other lenders can’t or won’t
4. Full-‐Service lender with single point of contact advantage (No sales “teams”, processing “teams”) The financial industry experienced sharp fluctuations in recent years. What do you see in the mortgage business today that can be improved and what is NSFG’s secret formula to success? “Simply put, in order to deliver exceptional customer service you have to perform more localized operations management. Big companies often fail at delivering excellence to its Realtor® relationships due to ignoring attention to detail, which is everything in business… the ability to handle various tasks and ensure that everything gets done quickly, accurately and on time is the biggest challenge large lenders face daily. Remember that old expression, the devil is in the details? Well, this holds true to the large lenders who just have far too many layers and a lot of bottlenecking that slows them down. As far as NSFG’s secret formula to success: it’s about staying localized and delivering excellence to our Realtor®
relationships the exceptional service they need to close the deal, on time, every time. It also helps having the right people who are equally obsessed about even the smallest of details and who are committed to delivering on the company’s promise of exceptional customer service. We are fortunate to have the recent addition of the new generation of “Reeber” who joined NSFG earlier this year. In the short time Eric has been with us, he has already more that doubled our business by applying new and diversified smart business to our mix”. Talk to me a bit about what Customer Service truly means to NSFG… “We at NSFG define customer service as the life-‐blood of our business -‐whether you like it or not, you have to pay close attention to customer service on many levels and across all business to effectively demonstrate
company competence. It's my belief that customers can get a strong indication about how a company does business and how it will attend to big concerns by how it attends to little ones. The consumer mind has a logical and emotional part to it, and if you don't speak to both, you will lose them. Great customer service and delivery also depends on
great communication, which starts at the top. Our team knows that I am accessible which also gives them a positive psychological boost -‐-‐ they know they can contact me anytime a problem comes up
that requires my attention. Thanks to our focus on delivering great customer service and attention to detail, we continually improve as a company and get better every day, regularly receiving plaudits. Notice how I say better, not bigger. We are a company that has full ability to get large, we don't want to. We want to stay the size that we are and focus our growth more in delivering excellence in customer service to the local New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets”. How do you manage as “the” company’s primary resource? Do you ever have down time? “Some people do better than others when it comes to wearing many hats and juggling various responsibilities, but it is important to remember that as a business owner, you need to get good at it as quickly as possible. I am very hands-‐on and engaged in every aspect of the business-‐ part by passion, part by necessity… I admit, I have an obsessive compulsion to detail. If you want to call all the shots, and be a business owner, then you need to know all the facets of the business. Family is equally important to me. I cannot express how thrilled I am that my son decided to join the family business. There are many companies that employ the young leader under the direction of the executive parent. At times, we might agree to disagree however, THE BEST part is guiding your own destiny and creating that same opportunity for your kids. You are able to make decisions and see them through; make things happen. I can challenge my son with difficult tasks and be
there to see him achieve results”. What message do you want to send to local Realtors®? “Give us the opportunity to earn your business. We've never missed a commitment date and we've never missed a closing date, so let us be your lender of choice. We personally take responsibility for each of our commitments to each of our business relationships. Rarely do you see a mortgage lender that employs the same employees for over 20 years. Our team is trained to personally take pride in what their responsibility is, and every day they set their personal goals and they achieve them-‐ because they truly care”. What message do you want to send to loan officers seeking or considering a professional move? “If you are a licensed Mortgage Loan Originator in in New Jersey or Pennsylvania and are thinking of making a professional move, consider the awesome benefits of a truly amazing lifestyle when working in your local community and market. Especially, when working for a local mortgage lender that will get the loan closed on time, every time for you and your Realtor® client. Our team’s character and ethics are real and focused on delivering only the highest quality of service. If you have a decent book of business and require expedited services, we want to talk to you. We are a local mortgage lender with a lot of heart”!
Northern States Funding Group, Inc., Gene and son, Eric have BIG plans and are truly unstoppable. We look forward to following them as they continue on this journey. About Northern States Funding Group, Inc.-‐ NSFG is a full-‐service mortgage lender with a strong reputation of outstanding performance in satisfying the lending needs of Real Estate Professionals, Builders and Individual Homebuyers in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets. Lender NMLS: 120891 -‐ Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Employer. 600 Birchfield Dr. Suite 604, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 -‐ Toll Free: 877.302.4044 www.nsfg.net