Tue, 2012-12-04 15:06 — Eric Levin

All individuals or groups that support the strategic growth of the production side of the mortgage banking industry must make an effort, daily, to put themselves in the shoes of the individuals where it all starts in this business–the originator. Sure, we can all point to facets of the business that exist prior to the originator’s effort–and by no means am I diminishing that value, but volume drives the bottom line and the originator drives the volume. In the Hammerhouse LLC 2012 Core Mortgage Lending Components Survey, we received responses that inform how an originator or leader of originators feels about six key topics that we refer to as “The Six Core Components” (Leadership, Culture, Business, Operations, Technology and Geography) in our industry. A snapshot of the results included:

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By Drew Waterhouse
Managing director
Hammerhouse LLC

A recent survey may help managers prepare their businesses for the future

The mortgage industry has come a long way in the past five years. From an industry of hundreds of thousands of workers — many of whom were inexperienced, poorly trained and poorly supervised — the industry now is defined by a reduced but ultimately more experienced workforce. Although these professionals’ perseverance is sometimes overlooked, they remain excellent sources of insight and guidance for the rest of the industry.

To harness that insight, Hammerhouse LLC recently conducted a survey that sought originators’ opinions about the lenders for whom they work. The survey’s results could be particularly helpful for those who manage their own companies, as the survey’s findings may point to the script that will define the mortgage industry’s next chapter.

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2012 was another excellent year for our industry. How were your year-end results relative to your goals? Every year your ‘crystal ball’ allows you to predict the future and depending on how good you are at honing in on the metrics, your crystal ball becomes more accurate over time. The question is: Do you have a business plan to INCREASE your bottom line through talent infilling and strategic growth initiatives in 2013?

This past year, Hammerhouse continued to make significant strides in innovating the way we help our clients execute talent infilling and expansion efforts on both a micro and a macro level. Our results have produced internal growth within our own team as well as a new division to support the non-sales needs of our clients while maintaining a 12-month rolling retention rate of 87% for people we have placed. Our clients’ average production per loan officer/team was also significantly above 2011 numbers. Read More >

Posted by kpanchuk on 11/26/12 at 9:29am

National employment recruitment firm Hammerhouse launched a new division called Tactical Ops Recruiting Quality to focus on the hiring of operational and non-sales professionals with experience in the mortgage industry.

The division is called TORQ for short and is focused on helping clients with hiring mortgage talent across the U.S.

The move shows the need for expertise in the recruitment of mortgage professionals.

“TORQ is being launched as a direct result of our mortgage banking clients need to expand their sales force to remain competitive, without impacting the customers’ experience,” said Drew Waterhouse, managing director and CEO of Hammerhouse. “These clients understand that having the right operational talent in place will build trust not only with customers and loan officers, but other key stakeholders including investors.”

TORQ will be based in Hammerhouse’s headquarters in Mission Viejo, Calif.

kpanchuk@housingwire.com

by MortgageOrb.com on Monday 26 November 2012

Mon, 2012-11-26 16:52 — NationalMortgag…

Hammerhouse LLC has announced that it has launched a new division, Tactical Ops Recruiting Quality or TORQ, which will focus on the placement of experienced mortgage banking operational and other non-sales professionals throughout the U.S. TORQ, which will be powered by Hammerhouse’s best in class support and service to client partners, is being rolled out nationwide and has been engaged by multiple clients to assist in hiring operations talent to enhance their operational infrastructure and improve customer satisfaction.

“The effectiveness of mortgage operations, which is driven by top talent, is a significant advantage in today’s mortgage industry and will define the next generation of Mortgage Bankers,” said Drew Waterhouse, managing director and chief executive officer of Hammerhouse. “TORQ is being launched as a direct result of our mortgage banking clients need to expand their sales force to remain competitive, without impacting the customers’ experience. These clients understand that having the right operational talent in place will build trust not only with customers and loan officers, but other key stakeholders including investors.”

TORQ will be based out of Hammerhouse’s corporate offices in Mission Viejo, Calif. and is already operational throughout the company’s network of offices including Hickory, N.C.; Chicago, Ill.; and Bellevue, Wash.

Tactical Ops Recruiting Quality – TORQ – to focus on the placement of Mortgage Banking operational professionals

MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA – (November 26, 2012)

Hammerhouse LLC, an expanding national recruiting and strategic growth firm for the financial service industry with mortgage sales and leadership placement at its core, announced today it has launched a new Division, Tactical Ops Recruiting Quality or TORQ, which will focus on the placement of experienced Mortgage Banking operational and other non-sales professionals throughout the U.S.  TORQ, which will be powered by Hammerhouse’s best in class support and service to client partners, is being rolled out nationwide and has been engaged by multiple clients to assist in hiring operations talent to enhance their operational infrastructure and improve customer satisfaction. Read More >

We all know that networking and sharing best practices is valuable in a variety of settings to achieve improvement.   The Japanese have a word for the concept of making small continuous improvements in an organization over time: Kaizen. Reviewing the principles of kaizen has reminded me that “the Best is often the enemy of the Better.”  Let me explain.

“Best” is an impossible standard.  It cannot be reached because it cannot be defined. I will never have the best solution to share with someone nor will I ever receive what is best from someone else.  What we can offer those with whom we work is to learn from experience and keep getting better. Read More >

10/31/2012 By: Tory Barringer

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

–Michael Jordan

I’ve always found it fascinating that the core principals relating to the success of teams will cross the lines of industry, government, sport, and even age for that matter.  In thinking about the simple things that relate to the success of teams, the quote above from Michael Jordan puts it in great perspective.  Jordan is not a writer, he is not a philosopher, and he is not a historian.  But, this quote comes from a place of experience and passion. He said it with no desire to impress anyone that may hear or read it…it is simply the truth as he has seen it.  By breaking this quote down we can all find ways to relate Jordan’s words to the potential success of the teams we lead.

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