Lisa Kaminski is the senior underwriting manager at HomeSouth Mortgage Corporation.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
“I do all of the underwriting of all of the mortgage loans that come in. That includes underwriting the appraisal, making sure they meet guidelines and approving or denying.”
HOW DO PRE-APPROVALS FIT IN THE PICTURE?
“Pre-approved is, basically, based on what a person tells you they make. You can call up and get pre-approved by telling how much you make and how much you have in assets. What I have to do is verify the accuracy of all that information. I have to verify how much they make, assets, if they make the money to pay for the closing and that the property meets Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines.”
HOW LONG HAS SHE WORKED FOR HOME SOUTH MORTGAGE?
Kaminski has been with HomeSouth for nearly two and half years, on and off. Though originally employed as a loan processor, Kaminski left to branch out into underwriting. “Unfortunately, we were not at the point of needing an underwriter here, so I ended up going to another company, Homeside Lending, to be trained and to learn how to do government underwriting and things of that sort.” Kaminski stayed at Homeside Lending for a while before leaving to go to work for Chase Manhattan as an underwriter. Ultimately, the need for an underwriter at HomeSouth arose, so she came back.
HOW LONG IN THE MORTGAGE BUSINESS?
In 1985 Kaminski first broke into the mortgage business as an entry-level data entry clerk with Stockton Whatley and Davin. “I was out of high school, needed a job, so I replied to an advertisement I saw in the paper.” Kaminski eventually took a position as a processor there, where she learned the basics of loan processing. Her work, in that capacity, for several different companies over the years, eventually led her to Home South Mortgage.
DOES SHE WORK WITH REALTORS?
No, she works directly with mortgage brokers. They take the application for a loan and have to submit it to a wholesale lender to purchase the loan. “We don’t do retail, we do wholesale, so basically all of the mortgage brokers send their business to us. They get their business from the Realtors. We are kind of like a middle man.”
BEST BOSS EVER?
Kaminski said Jim DelVecchio, president of Home South Mortgage Corporation is the best boss she has ever had. “He is just a good guy. He gives you a level of respect, as an employee, that I’ve never been given from any other company or manager. He hires you to do a job and he has full confidence that you will do it. He doesn’t have to micromanage you, it’s different level of management that I’ve ever experienced.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“Being able to work with the brokers. You start to develop, as you deal with them on a more consistent basis, a relationship with them. As you begin dealing with them on a day-to-day basis you and are able to provide them with the customer service they want. We aren’t dealing directly with the buyers. The broker has to reassure their buyers that everything is Ok and they are getting that reassurance from me.”
HOW HAS YOUR JOB CHANGED?
“It went from where we used to type everything in on a typewriter to now, where everything is so automated. That’s really the biggest thing. You have to be able to deal with the change. You’ve got to be able to deal with the technological changes or you will be left behind. Everything used to be underwritten by an underwriter, manually. Now there are programs that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac came up with where all you have to do is input the information and [the software] can determine if it is an approvable or non-approvable loan. If it’s not approved, they won’t buy it. But I still have to verify that all the numbers are correct because if you don’t input the correct information, you won’t get the right result. I still have to underwrite the property, because the computer can’t see that.”
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN TELL BROKERS?
“To call me if they have a question instead of just submitting it. I am always available, and I have been doing this for so long that they should use that knowledge and ask the questions. It makes their job easier, too.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“Determination.”
WHAT DOES SHE LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
“I enjoy [University of Florida] Gator football, NASCAR and spending time with my family.”
HOMETOWN?
Jacksonville.
FAMILY
Kaminski is married to Mike, a sports photojournalist with Channel 12. “He covers all of the sporting events seen on television. It could be high school football, college football, the NFL, NASCAR or the Daytona 500. He covers such a wide variety of sporting events. After the games, he is one holding the camera doing the interviews.” Kaminski also has three children, Ashley, 16; Christian, 11 and Cameron, 7.
RESIDES
Southside.
FAVORITES
Among her favorite movies, Kaminski cites “Grease” as her top pick. “My daughter and I have watched it over and over.” Also when relaxing at home, Kaminski enjoys tuning into “King of Queens.” And when she’s not approving loans, Kaminski prefers any vacation spot with a tropical climate.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis