Bruce Wehner has had two careers: Mortgage professional and U.S. Navy pilot. He insists they are related.
“The military is all about integrity and doing what’s right,” he said. “And with mortgages, you also need that. You don’t sell a product to a homeowner that’s not appropriate.”
Overlapping a two-decade stint as a Navy pilot and instructor, Wehner has spent the last 22 years helping homeowners to get mortgages. He’s worked for banks, brokers and builders as a sales agent, manager and underwriter.
In June he became a mortgage and sales manager for Community First Credit Union, a company from which he can see himself retiring.
“I like the honesty and integrity of a credit union,” he said. “They take care of their members and to me, that’s how you grow a business. A lot of employees have been here 10 or 20 years. A lot of them know a lot of the members.”
For his job Wehner coaches loan officers –– sometimes going with them on appointments with Realtors and builders, and pitching the advantages using a credit union for mortgages.
“A lot of people don’t realize that a credit union even does mortgages outside of their membership, and honestly, it’s the best deal in town,” he said. “Our service is superior, our costs are significantly lower, and since the financial crisis, I think a lot of people feel safer dealing with a credit union –– just because we’ve been a lot more conservative in how we lend over the years.”
Wehner grew up in Baltimore and as a kid knew he wanted to fly. He joined the Naval Academy –– a 40-minute drive from his hometown –– tempted by the chance to play lacrosse and soccer as much as by the school’s superior academics.
After graduation he flew P-3’s on missions and was stationed at such far-flung places as Iceland and Europe. He trained pilots in Pensacola for a few years, but after his children were born, switched to the reserves to finish out his military career. His last duty station was Naval Air Station Jacksonville, in his wife’s hometown.
Wehner had earned a finance degree in college and had friends in the mortgage industry. In 1992, he followed their example.
“What appealed to me was the mental challenge of looking at a person’s financial situation and picking and choosing what’s best for them,” he said. “It can be similar to being a pilot because you have to be able to think on your feet –– things don’t always go as planned.”
And while Wehner no longer guards citizens against a foreign enemy, he does brave a challenge that’s intimidating to most –– designing a plan to finance a home and drawing up the nearly indecipherable legal contracts that implement it.
“A mortgage officer needs to be a trusted adviser,” he said. “You need to be able to answer all their questions about the documents and about how the process will go. I don’t care if they’ve done it two or three times, there’s still stress.”
The rewarding part is being on hand for major milestones, a couple’s first home, a family that needs a larger house for children, a relocation caused by a new job.
“You would think it’s repetitive in nature, but it isn’t,” Wehner said. “You’re helping people to acquire and meet their dream. For most people it’s the biggest financial transaction in their life, and you really bring them a lot of happiness.”
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