Today we go behind the scenes at South River Mortgage, where we’ve turned the often hush-hush topic of internal promotions into something that’ll crack a smile on even the most stoic of readers; and yes, even underwriters, included.

At South River Mortgage, we believe that growth should be as exciting as getting that “clear to close” email on a Friday morning. Why? Because we see potential where others see paperwork. Our leaders, and leaders in the making, don’t just climb the corporate ladder: they ascend.

The Secret Sauce to Our Promotion Gumbo

First off, we’ve ditched the traditional “submit your resume and cross your fingers” model. Here, it’s about showcasing your skills in the real world, whether that is being a leader on your team, a rockstar underwriter, or a fantastic salesperson.

Meet Dylan Morton, who became a leader at South River Mortgage after two years working as a loan originator. Quickly upon being hired, Dylan set himself apart as a quiet yet thoughtful leader. For two years, Dylan was at the top of the leaderboard and continued to notch gains. Today, Dylan is an Assistant Vice President at SRM, and he leads his own team called the Mavericks.

By the way, stories like Dylan’s are not uncommon, and we’ll continue to learn more about leaders just like Dylan.

Who said operations can’t join in on the fun?

Somewhere along the line, operations got left out of the fun in the broader mortgage industry. Not at South River Mortgage. We have continued our time-tested tradition of internal promotions and leadership throughout the organization: it is not exclusively sales.

In 2021, SRM’s first underwriter, Karen Montes, joined the team. Karen began as a quiet, thoughtful, individual contributor (who, by the way, could flawlessly and singlehandedly review more loans in a day than some of the most seasoned underwriters could review in a week). Karen continued to fine tune her craft, and it quickly grew from a “department of one” to a larger group. Karen quickly climbed the ranks to becoming and underwriting manager. Today, she is our Senior Vice President of Operations, where her purview extends beyond underwriting into closing, funding, post-closing, and endorsement, a mere two years later.

With so much talent, how do we decide?

Internal interviews? More like auditions. Every day, our team’s talents are on stage as they continue to show their strengths.

For both sales and operations roles, the focus is on being a strong contributor while helping your team. At SRM, we keep the criteria intentionally vague because “helping the team” takes on many different flavors. In operations, helping the team might include developing a process improvement. In sales, helping the team might include holding a training, or even leaning over to assist the newest member of the team on their pitch.

There you have it. At South River Mortgage, internal promotions are about recognizing the talent in our team and having a blast while doing it. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about moving up – it’s about growing together, sharing success, and, most importantly, keeping the journey as lively as the last day to close.

At South River Mortgage, we don’t just approve loans; we approve dreams and careers.