Not more than 25 years ago, William Esquivel remembers his mother struggling to buy the family’s first home. Reflecting on the loan practices of banks at the time, what he remembers most he said was the disconnected nature of those financial institutions from Valley families.
His mother wasn’t approved for the home, but what especially aggravates Esquivel to this day was the lack of warmth that he feels comprises communities here. They never explained anything to her, he said; they just told her she didn’t qualify.
“It was probably one of the main reasons I got into the business,” said Esquivel, who is now Gold Financial Services Regional Manager in Edinburg. “It reminds us and humbles us that you don’t treat people that way, especially when they are trusting you with the biggest investment they have. That’s one thing we take pride in.”
San Antonio-based Gold Financial Services has been in the mortgage lending industry for more than twenty years. With branches in San Antonio, Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, Edinburg, Grapevine, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, Mesquite, New Braunfels, Plano, Rockwall, and Louisiana, Esquivel says the company is a true mortgage banker with the ability to originate any type of mortgage loans such as government- FHA and USDA Loans, Conventional loans, and Veterans Administration loans. Gold Financial Services is a true “no layer decision making company.” All decisions are made at the local level. President and CEO Mike Goldman is a San Antonio native.
From mortgage processing and underwriting, to loan closing and funding, expert mortgage staff goes out of its way to efficiently expedite the entire transaction, while keeping customers informed every step of the way. Gold Financial Services is committed to building rewarding, long-term customer relationships in order to deliver the highest quality mortgage services, Esquivel says.
Gold Financial Services averages about $50 million in loan originations corporate wide, Esquivel says. Out of the Valley, the company averages between $3 million to $5 million on a monthly basis with regards to closings.
It’s a significant increase since Gold Financial Services opened its doors in the Rio Grande Valley, where they started with $1.5 million in originations in 2009, he says.
“About 95 percent of my business has been referral sourced. Not only mine, but the rest of my originators,” Esquivel said. “So in order for us to grow by leaps and bounds in a short amount of time utilizing mainly a referral-based system, (2009 to now), says a lot in regards to how serious we are about customer service.”
“What I mean by my referral-based system are realtors, builders, and other professionals like CPAs and attorneys who refer their clients over to us to take care of them,” he said.
Influenced by his mother’s ordeal to buy a home, Esquivel has placed extra emphasis on the family component. For example, He hired his brother, Johnny Esquivel, as his branch manager, and other brother, Fernando “Jay” Esquivel Jr., as the loan processor.
After hiring his production manager, Robert Saenz, he then hired his father, Richard Saenz Sr., as the office loan coordinator. In addition, loan originator, (and right hand to Esquivel) Crystal Quintanilla, has her mother-in-law, Leticia Quintanilla, placed as a loan originator as well. Lastly, loan originator Ricardo Torres and wife Yvonne Hernandez, office loan coordinator, is also part of the team. This does not exclude the other Licensed Loan Originators such as Gabriel Moreno (1st cousin to Esquivels), Lisa Olgin, Cynthia Robles, Connie Elizondo, Cynthia Arredondo, and Alicia Garcia.
“We promote the Family First mentality. We can truly work as a team in order to provide the best customer service to our clients and “out customer service our competition.” So, that’s what our mindset is,” Esquivel said. “Who better to trust than our own families?”
Most common perceptions about lending that Esquivel would like to address:
1. )Is the mortgage business going to get stricter?
Yes, it is. That’s good. It will weed out the part-timers who don’t do this for a living and give the industry a bad name.
2.) There is STILL money available and ready to lend, especially for First Time Homebuyers.
3.) Do not let the media scare you in regards to how difficult it is to obtain a mortgage loan. It’s not hard at all. Get with a true mortgage banker like ourselves, and we will walk you through the process.
