The Producer Profile series highlights career anecdotes and insights into the success of the loan officers who appeared in National Mortgage News'
This week's edition features Eric Rotner of Commerce Home Mortgage, where he is a vice president of mortgage banking in the company's Walnut Creek, Calif. headquarters.
He has been in the mortgage banking business for more than 13 years. He joined what
Last year, Rotner originated 205 mortgages for a combined dollar volume of approximately $116 million — putting him
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?
I market based on word of mouth. While not creative, this approach results in a very high loan closure rate.
What's unique about the local market that you serve and what do you do to address those needs?
The primary markets that I serve are extremely competitive. Buyers need to differentiate themselves on both price and terms to get an offer accepted. I prepare my clients to close quickly and present offers with no contingencies whenever possible.
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.
I was called into the middle of a transaction and asked to start and close it in 11 days after the original lender made a mistake. I was able to determine an alternative approach for the buyers that enabled them to close on time and secured them better terms than the original option they were provided.
What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?
The mortgage business of today does not resemble the business when I started. It has been important to be flexible and embrace the changes rather than resist them.
Who is someone in your life, personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?
The owner of the first company that I worked for was an exceptionally difficult person to deal with and offered very little support. However, she insisted that I learn all facets of the business from sales to processing. The experience in handling all aspects of the transaction has provided me with levels of expertise that my competition does not have.
