Facing a housing market in transition, mortgage lenders are striving to provide funding access to a growing population of non-traditional borrowers. As these borrowers begin to comprise a significant part of overall housing demand, brokers and LOs want to partner with wholesale lenders who understand how to serve this emerging customer base.
With demand for alternative lending expected to increase, Champions Funding empowers their broker partners to service diverse borrower needs by providing solutions-driven results in the non-QM space. The brokers who partner with Champions Funding benefit from exceptional support from a team that truly cares about their business goals.
“Our robust programs are supported by our exceptional underwriting and client relations team who offer one-on-one support,” said Natalie Verrette, President and COO of Champions Funding. “When brokers are put on hold, their business is on hold. It’s our goal to cut the clutter and underwriting friction to get brokers and their borrowers on a pathway to a ‘yes’ faster.”
Champions Funding is also helping put brokers on a pathway to serving the historically underserved. The company understands that today’s homebuyer doesn’t necessarily fit into a traditional agency credit box, allowing them to build solutions that work with the needs of a changing borrower population.
“Expanding access to financing beyond the limits of traditional lending with our unique CDFI lending options, while simultaneously offering our partners the benefit of efficiency-streamlined fulfillment, is exactly the type of innovation needed in today’s market to help drive a best-class customer experience in the non-QM space,” explained Kimberley Torres, Executive Vice President of sales at Champion Funding.
As one of the few lenders to hold a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) designation, Champions Funding promotes growth in some of the nation’s most distressed communities. Utilizing the company’s flagship program, Ally, brokers can tap into a one trillion-dollar market backed by the US Department of the Treasury while reaching creditworthy borrowers whose communities have been historically underserved.
“We’re seeing a boom in these community-focused loans, which propels our mission to serve the underserved,” explained Evan Stone, co-founder and CEO of Champions Funding.
Serving the underserved isn’t the only way Champions Funding differentiates itself from other wholesale lenders. Besides their end-to-end user experience and non-QM lending innovation, the company boasts a diverse and primarily woman-led team.
“We’re proud to be one of the few lenders where the majority of the executive team are women,” Verrette said. “We’re staffing our team with highly motivated and talented mortgage professionals who may have been overlooked.”
Moreover, Champions Funding is debunking the myth that non-QM loans are laborious and slow by providing personalized support and speedy closings. In another example of their push to empower, the company’s best in class HERO broker platform is named after exactly what it is designed to do: Helping Empower Real Opportunity.
With the mortgage industry expected to encounter more new challenges as the housing market continues to shift, Champions Funding is poised to be at the forefront of what’s to come.
Evan M. Stone: Co-founder and CEO
Evan Stone taps into decades of success in the mortgage industry as former Founder/CEO of Pacific Union Financial, owner of ClearVision Funding, and the newly acquired Community Savings Bank to strategically lead the new mission-driven CDFI-certified non-QM wholesale lender Champions Funding.
Natalie Verrette: President and Chief Operating Officer
Natalie Verrette brings extensive experience in growing all areas of mortgage productions, operations and fulfillment for large-scale mortgage lenders to Champions where she is committed to serve the underserved.
Kimberley Torres: Executive Vice President of Sales
Kimberley Torres leverages 20-plus years in the mortgage industry where she’s focused on ensuring the ultimate client experience and is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth and performance of the Champions sales organization.