This summer, Mabrey Bank introduced a new mortgage line of business led by Jeff Moser, Director of Mabrey Mortgage, SVP. Jeff is an experienced mortgage lender with a successful career of partnering with customers to find the best mortgage solutions tailored to their needs.
We caught up with Jeff to explore the basics of Mabrey’s new mortgage loan offerings and what sets Mabrey apart when it comes to helping customers finance a new home.
1) How is Mabrey Bank taking its track record of personalized service and high-quality banking to the mortgage lending business?
At our core, Mabrey serves our customers with reliability, quality and care. Recently, the Mabrey Executive Team saw a chance to expand that level of service to mortgages. With a department now solely focused on mortgage lending and the ability to operate in secondary market financing, we are able to provide a wide variety of offerings and competitive rates. We have introduced an online portal to apply for mortgage financing as a way to increase the speed and convenience to those looking for their next home.
As a mortgage financing specialist who has been in the business for more than 20 years, I look forward to building out this department with lenders who match the customer-first culture and focus that has become a constant at Mabrey Bank.
2) What loan types does Mabrey Mortgage currently offer?
In addition to the Conventional mortgage loans insured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, we are excited to offer Jumbo loans for high-priced homes and an additional four types of government-backed loans which give our customers affordable mortgage options if they qualify.
- Conventional
- Jumbo – loans for homes that exceed the maximum loan limit for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- VA – loans for veterans, active duty military or surviving spouses
- USDA Rural Development – loans for homes in rural areas
- HUD 184 – loans for Native Americans on or off of reservations
- FHA – loans with low down payments, typically used by first-time home buyers
For more information on each loan type and to begin an application for a mortgage loan, click here.
3) Why is it important to you that Mabrey offers government-backed loans like VA, USDA or HUD 184?
Government loans give low down payment options to many buyers who don’t pay the standard 20% down payment. These government-backed loans are also more flexible in providing financing to buyers who may have had credit issues in their past with the minimum credit score requirements on these loan products typically much lower than Conventional financing.
That combination of low down payment and flexible credit requirements allows us to serve more customers looking for their next home. By being able to offer a specialized product to our veterans, Native Americans, those living in rural areas and first-time home buyers, we are able to spread the mission at Mabrey more widely than ever before.
4) Jumbo Loans are a unique non-conforming loan that are becoming more popular as home prices increase. How do you tailor your mortgage suite to customers in the market for a Jumbo Mortgage?
Jumbo loans are simply loans that go above the maximum conforming loan limit set by the Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA) which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While that limit varies by county and changes annually, the typical maximum for most areas of the country in 2023 is $726,200. For more expensive homes which require a loan above this amount, a Jumbo loan is needed. Not all lenders are willing to do Jumbo loans, but we are excited to offer this at Mabrey.
5) While interest rates are currently higher than they have been over the past few years, why is now a good time to purchase a home or piece of property?
Interest rates will always go up and down, that has never changed. Of course, we’d all want the rates today that were available to us for a few years during COVID.
That said, one thing that is unlikely to go down is the price of real estate. If borrowers wait, prices on homes will continue to rise, so you will be paying more for the same house if they wait 6-12 months than if you pull the trigger today. A loan can be refinanced when rates drop, but the longer you wait, the more you will pay on the principal of the home.
*Mabrey Bank is an Equal Housing Lender.