While starting a real estate project in his hometown of Champaign, Todd Carlson initially thought it would be like the many others he’s undertaken. He didn’t realize he would find a new bank in the process. A little collaboration by our mortgage and commercial lending officers made all the difference.
At the start of his new construction, Todd was referred to INB’s Tom Whooley, SVP, commercial lending for INB Champaign. Once the two got talking, Todd also realized his dad had known Tom as well. Todd immediately felt comfortable with Tom, and his intuition proved correct.
“I’m building a duplex home, living on one side and using the other side to rent residentially,” said Todd, a firefighter for the Champaign Fire Department. “Tom brought in INB Mortgage to help since my project is both commercial and mortgage, and they’ve been very good to do business with together.”
The experience was so positive for Todd that he became a devoted INB customer.
“I ended up moving all my finances to INB as a result,” he said. “They did a lot of headwork to simplify the process for me. I want to stick with them as a result.”
Collaboration Followed by Service
Widely supported by our executive team, INB’s Commercial and Mortgage departments find strength in each other for the benefit of our customers. Collaboration between departments in each of our four major markets is common as we serve our customers who may be in need of both services.
These services not only provide great customer service – it also saves time for our clients. Evan Westlake, SVP, commercial lending for INB Springfield, recalls having a commercial client who needed a mortgage quickly.
“I referred him to Natalie Dodson (VP, mortgage lending), and I was able to give Natalie all of his tax returns and other pertinent documents to complete the application process within his quick timeline, without inconveniencing the client,” Evan said. “It is rare to have such a strong mortgage department alongside a strong commercial team, and it allows us to better serve our clients.”
Peoria Commercial lenders refer customers to residential mortgage and vice versa, as well. Sometimes a customer doesn’t fit into the mold of a conventional mortgage loan, so our commercial department is able to handle some of those. In addition to helping specific customers, the team bounces growth and marketing ideas off of each other as well.
Service Leads to Recommendations
Todd Carlson noted how well Champaign’s mortgage and commercial teams communicated and collaborated, keeping each other updated throughout the process of his loans.
Todd said he’s already been recommending INB Champaign’s dual services to friends who are also involved in real estate.
“I really can’t say enough good things about it. I’ve done commercial and residential projects with different banks throughout the years, but since working with INB, I’ve moved all of my personal finances and investment properties there,” he said. “I wouldn’t recommend someone unless I’m that comfortable with them, and I am with INB.”
NMLS #’s for INB lenders mentioned in this blog post:
Tom Whooley: 743078
Evan Westlake: 662918
Natalie Dodson: 574151