Fifteen-year mortgage-industry veteran Ryan White joined Liberty Bank June 3 as president of its mortgage division. White, who worked most recently at U.S. Bank, succeeds Michael Frerking in the post that manages 12 loan officers across 24 Liberty Bank branches. With new-home purchase loans expected to rise amid low interest rates and an improving economy, Aurora-native White says his goal is to increase purchase-loan volume by 25 percent annually the next three years.
The Rising ‘Dog’ “I came by way of U.S. Bank. I was the area sales manager. I covered southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas for the last three years. Prior to that, I was in the community banking world for a little (more than) a year at Guaranty Bank. (Also), I was with Bank of America for six or seven years. Prior to that, I was a mortgage banker/mortgage broker from 1998 on. … I’m a Houn’ Dawg from Aurora – born and raised. I got my undergrad at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, and I’ve continued my education with post-grad work at (University of Missouri-Kansas City) and Drury [University].”
Recession Crossroads “Right at the peak of my success as a traditional loan officer, the economy collapsed. I had worked so hard to build up my portfolio, my networks, my relationships, cultivating business and all that and then the wheels fell off the wagon. It was one of those crossroads in life, and what are you going to do? My income dropped 60 percent. My wife lost her job at Noble. So, we felt the way probably the majority of people felt in this country when we were going through those hard times. It was touch and go. … There was a former co-worker at Bank of America who asked me for a recommendation … for U.S. Bank. I wrote up the letter, and then I got a phone call from the regional manager at U.S. Bank, and he asked me if I wanted to be a sales manager there because the former sales manager was retiring.”
Finding Liberty “The training and everything (U.S. Bank) provided allowed me to elevate my career. I built the company up from doing $60 million locally to $130 million in my territory. The biggest thing I cherish is relationships. I never burn a bridge anywhere I’m at. I always want to leave the door open. [Liberty Bank President] Gary Metzger reached out to me and saw my relationships and my growth strategy. I’m an old-fashioned network guy. I learned that from my father, who was an optometrist for 40 years. You have to be genuine, and you don’t make promises you can’t keep. So, I got a phone call from Gary. I know the direction he wants to go and he knows the direction I want to go, and we just ironed things out on a napkin.”
New-purchase Focus “We are definitely seeing an uptick in new-purchase home buying. …We realize that we will be going through a transition during the next 12 to 18 months. As our purchase business starts gaining traction, I think we’ll start to see refinances start to fall off the table. Our goal in the next three years … is to have a staff of 15 loan officers covering our 24 branches. We want to be able to exceed $150-$175 million consistently year in and year out through new-purchase growth only. Whatever is on top of that in terms of refinances and home-equity lines of credit is just icing on the cake. Our concentration is on purchase growth.”
New Construction “I think 2014 is a critical year for new construction. The fourth quarter of this year is critical as well. That sets the pace for next year. We are getting calls for new construction. We are seeing more people want to move on up as their families grow. They are moving from their three-bedroom, two-bath homes into larger homes as their families expand. Definitely, there is demand. We don’t really have a [large] supply of new homes right now, but I think once there is more demand, you’ll see busy contractors, and there will be loans available. Then, there will be more new-home volume in mortgages.”
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
