A mortgage originator who rescues racehorses. A mortgage lender who commits to helping hurricane victims. A foundation supported by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) that helps make the dream of homeownership a reality for many with financial grants.
Mortgage professionals serve their communities everyday by helping families and individuals purchase the first home, build equity and grow wealth. Mortgage professionals also go above and beyond in efforts to help those most in need.
Each year, Scotsman Guide features some of these stories on these pages. If you or your company is holding an event, fundraiser or otherwise supporting a charity, please send details to Jim Davis at jimd@scotsmanguide.com.
More than 200 people died from Hurricane Helene, which devastated several Southeastern states in late September and flooded major parts of North Carolina. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. committed to send a $1 million relief fund following devastation caused by the hurricane.
Fairway is making assistance available to those who have received loans through Fairway as well as Fairway employees who have been negatively impacted by damage caused by the hurricane.
“Having experienced multiple hurricanes over the course of a 28-year career in mortgages, we know how these storms can disrupt lives,” said Fairway CEO and founder Steve Jacobson. “Our industry has a responsibility to help when needed, and right now, the help is needed.”
U.S. Bank mortgage originator Kaisa Gifford founded Gifford Horses in 2021 at her hometown of Snohomish, Washington. In a few short years, Gifford Horses has expanded to a dual facility organization focused on rescue and rehabilitation of thoroughbreds.
The majority of the horses rescued are saved out of kill pens in Louisiana or Texas, where they would otherwise be awaiting export out of the U.S. for slaughter and consumption. Gifford Horses is able to ID the individual horses by their tattoo or microchip and transport them to Washington state.
Currently, Gifford Horses is mostly self-funded, but Gifford is in the process of filling out the paperwork to become a nonprofit. During the summer season, Gifford also works closely with the Emerald Downs racetrack in Auburn to take on surgical or rehab cases — and later rehome the horses when they are cleared for work or companionship.
The Guild Giving Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Guild Mortgage Company to deliver on its commitment to building relationships and strengthening communities, presented $500,800 to three local San Diego charities from funds raised during its fifth annual Charity Golf Tournament, Auction and Dinner Social.
Proceeds from the October 2023 golf event were presented in December 2023 to charities serving the San Diego community, including MyPath2Own Dedicated to Lisa Klika, Home Start and Third Avenue Charitable Organization.
The annual Guild fundraising event has sold out in its last five years and raised more than $1.6 million for important causes such as homelessness and education for disadvantaged youth.
Guild Mortgage also has assisted 683 families living in underserved communities in St. Louis with $3.7 million through the Guild Gateway to Homeownership Assistance program. The proprietary lending program provides up to a $5,000 lender credit toward closing costs, helping first-time home buyers currently residing in an eligible metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
In 2018, Motto Mortgage founded the Mission Against Hunger as a way for the Motto Mortgage network to give back to local communities. The concept was simple: Motto professionals give homebuyers reusable, branded tote bags to fill with nonperishable goods they don’t want to pack up for the move.
Throughout the year, team members at Motto Mortgage headquarters and franchise offices across the country host local food drives, volunteer at food banks, support educators and students, and even sponsor events for local sports teams or charitable organizations. In 2023 alone, the Motto Mortgage Mission Against Hunger raised over $40,000 in monetary and non-perishable food donations equating to more than 404,000 meals provided to those in need.
Pennymac and the Kurland Family Foundation raised more than $2.3 million in June 2024, at the third annual Stanford L. Kurland Memorial Golf Classic. The charity event has raised more than $7 million since its inception in 2022 — all to benefit brain cancer research at the UCLA Neuro-Oncology Program in the David Geffen School of Medicine.
Stanford L. Kurland founded Pennymac in 2008. Under his leadership, it has become one of the largest residential mortgage lenders and servicers in the nation. Kurland was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 2020 and received exceptional treatment and care at UCLA’s neuro- oncology facilities. His wife, Sheila Kurland, co-founded the foundation.
Also, in July 2024, Pennymac announced its participation in the Partnership for Your Success (PaYS) program, designed to help veterans secure a successful career after their military service. The program allows veterans to choose from five PaYS partners to receive guaranteed interviews, offering an invaluable bridge to civilian careers.
FICO and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation celebrated in July 2024 their longstanding and continued partnership of 14 years. FICO and FINRA Foundation set out to support service members by bringing financial education resources to United States’ active-duty service members and their spouses by providing military financial educators and counselors for the Department of Defense and Coast Guard Personal Financial Management Programs.
The MBA Opens Doors Foundation (Opens Doors) announced in June 2024 that it raised $220,000 at its Annual Charity Wine Auction during MBA’s Chairman’s Conference in Santa Barbara, California. The proceeds will support the foundation’s mission of providing mortgage and rental assistance to families with critically ill or injured children, allowing parents and guardians to be by a child’s side during treatment without fear of losing their home.
The Annual Charity Wine Auction was launched in 2019 by CMG Financial president, CEO and founder Chris George. This year’s auction was led by host committee co-chairs James Deitch, senior partner with Stratmor Group, co-founder of Teraverde Management Advisors and Opens Doors director; and Nolan Turner, managing director, Carrington Holding Company.
Open Doors, through its Home Grant Program, provides relief in a time of personal crisis. Grants of up to $2,000 are made monthly to families in need of mortgage or rental payment assistance.
In August, Open Doors announced that Freedom Mortgage and Radian Group Inc. have each extended their four-year commitment of support to the foundation, cementing the foundation’s alliance with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Freedom Mortgage has committed an additional $600,000 over six years, and Radian has committed an additional $500,000 over five years.
As part of the alliance with CHOP, Open Doors works with CHOP social workers to identify families with critically ill or injured children in need of mortgage or rental payment assistance as potential grant recipients. Open Doors made its first set of housing grants to CHOP in March 2020 and has since provided nearly $1 million in housing assistance to 660 CHOP families.
In March 2024, Opens Doors announced that Eddy Perez, founder and CEO of Equity Prime Mortgage, has pledged $1 million over 10 years in honor of the late former MBA President and CEO David H. Stevens. Opens Doors launched in October 2011 under the leadership of Stevens, his wife, Mary Stevens, and Dan Arrigoni, then-President and CEO of U.S. Bank Home Mortgage.
Since 2012, Opens Doors, through its network of 13 children’s hospitals, has helped families in 49 states and the District of Columbia, granting just shy of $25 million in housing assistance to more than 16,000 families.
“Dave was generous beyond measure and his commitment to families with sick kids during one of the most difficult times in their lives is something that lives on in the good work of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation,” Perez said. “It is a privilege to make this pledge in honor of my mentor and friend.”
In 2015, Chicago-based Proper Title founded Proper Giving, a nonprofit organization funded with a percentage collected from every residential and commercial transaction. To date, Proper Giving has donated $420,000 to local charities, with Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago being the largest beneficiary. Proper Title employees volunteer at Lurie Children’s throughout the year and support the hospital’s annual Move for Kids Walk. Proper Title also emails its attorney clients requesting they nominate their favorite nonprofit charity for a quarterly charity nomination. Proper Title’s board of directors reviews the nominees and sends a $2,500 donation to the selected charity.
