Citizens Mortgage Loan Originators

[Gary7]

Hi. We are hoping to contact a mortgage loan originator to discuss the mortgage process.

We want to purchase in the fall .. but are looking at getting all of our ducks in order :)

Does anyone have any recommendations from this list (from the Citizens website listing their mortgage loan originators)?
Glenda Adams
James Balthazer
Casey Cree
Robert Cree
Richard Grossman
Dawn Duval
Sharon Jensen
Brenda Faye Nelson
Oliver Chad Eston
Isabel Maria Quisenberry
Anthony Sciacchitano
Dean Smith
Debra Smith
Steve Koller


Thank you.

[shighsmi]

We used Robert Cree He was easy to talk and deal with.

[JaniceOhio]

I like Debra Smith. Easy to deal with.. :o)

[Bonanza]

Out of curiosity, why are you considering getting a mortgage through only Citizens?

[SandB]

We worked with Rich Grossman. He did a good job of coordinating our process.

[outahere]

We worked with Chad Oliver - friendly, knowledgeable and responsive to emails and phone calls.

[Chipper]

We used Debra Smith also. Answered all our questions promptly.

[manaboutown]

Shop your loan before you commit. You will likely save thousands!

[msbrit]

Sharon Jensen was excellent but I too would explore other possibilities as well as Citizens before making a decision

[villager]

Dean Smith!

[Steve & Deanna]

We used Brenda Nelson and got pre-approved prior to buying anything about a year or two prior. We came back to TV, found a home, made an offer, made a deal and Citizens Whls Mgtg was contacted (across the street from the sales office), info was sent over prior to 4pm and because somebody(???) didn't open their mail, it cost us 1/2% in mortgage rate. The pertinent paperwork was filled out, we went back up north to send in a couple of documents, which we did. Then, the day before closing, we found out that a 'senior mortgage processor' had taken sick, was out for a week and our paperwork sat on her desk. No one followed up on her duties. All of a sudden, we get a phone call and they needed paperwork to be 'overnighted'. That was four years ago. Our experience was ......OK at best. Not pointing fingers as the people were quite pleasant to deal with but had I to do it over again, I would shop. That extra 1/2 per cent really teed me off, naturally but it seems like with any deal, you have to baby-sit the process which is aggravating given the number of dollars they make off from you. I thought that dealing with them that they would have my best interest. Just remember, it's your money.

[gomoho]

Shop your options - Citizens does not usually provide the best rate and they will try and scare you into going with them with the issue of closing on time. Get a good reputable lender and you shouldn't have any problem meeting the deadlines. I actually closed a VA loan in less than 30 days with ERA mortgage buying a home in The Villages - of course they said it couldn't be done.

[buzzy]

Shop your options - Citizens does not usually provide the best rate and they will try and scare you into going with them with the issue of closing on time. Get a good reputable lender and you shouldn't have any problem meeting the deadlines. I actually closed a VA loan in less than 30 days with ERA mortgage buying a home in The Villages - of course they said it couldn't be done.

In 2011 we bought a spec house and had to close in 30 days. I could not get my NY credit union to move fast enough, so we went with Citizens First. Looking to refinance now. Citizens is still about 1% higher than my credit union. Have not taken action yet, but will before the year is out.

[Cathy H]

I believe the Citizens bank is owned by one of the developers many corporations, sooooooo.......as others here advise, explore other financing options, you may save $.

[Gary7]

Why Citizens? We heard if you buy a new house they have a 30 day closing process and some costs are waved.
Are there any down-sides of Citizens besides a higher interest rate?
... Thanks :-)

[JC and John]

We used Brenda at Citizens and had no problems. She was easy to deal with. We liked using Citizens because it was easy, fast one stop shopping. Yes, there is a 30 day close on new builds. At the time we bought, they were only .25% higher difference in interest rate which was not a deal for us. IMHO, you will find all sorts of horror stories about loans gone bad for other banks as well as Citizens. Please don't fret over the loan process, in the end, just go with your best judgment and you will be fine.

[Roaddog53]

Shop your loan before you commit. You will likely save thousands!

I agree. We used BB&T, Justin Halloway, and saved $1000s on closing costs and rates.No hassle, no worries, very friendly, and easily made it for closing two weeks ahead. He has not missed a closing. I believe he is now #2 behind Citizens in loans. (Buyers use Citizens by default without shopping, or scare tactic sales/contract states on missing a closing) He just past Wells Fargo recently.

[graciegirl]

I believe the Citizens bank is owned by one of the developers many corporations, sooooooo.......as others here advise, explore other financing options, you may save $.



It is always wise to shop for the best price, but there is nothing wrong with Citizens Bank. IT IS owned by the developer. A nice traditional man with conservative values.

[Bonanza]

Why Citizens? We heard if you buy a new house they have a 30 day closing process and some costs are waved.
Are there any down-sides of Citizens besides a higher interest rate?
... Thanks :-)

Any reputable lender can close within 30 days. Nothing unusual about that so don't let that be a deciding factor.

Some of the costs are waived??? I would want to know what these costs are and how much they add up to. Sounds like just another ploy to get you to go with them.

Shop your loan and get a good faith estimate in writing, then compare. There are many "hidden" costs that will surprise you and are just another way for a bank to pad their profits, regardless of what kind of fancy name they give to the fee.

If Citizens actually is higher than anyone else, (a 1% difference really IS significant), that should be a deal breaker for anyone!

[Carpe Diem]

Anthony Sciacchitano.

Went with a large national bank with our first house because of the rate. Our credit was outstanding. Local office up north assured us 45 days was a slam dunk. We had to keep calling about the status and it turned out final documents had to be faxed as we walked into the closing meeting. A nightmare. National banks don't understand the value of a home in the Villages and don't care. You are a statistic. Your friendly, helpful, local banker sends your stuff to a big city where analysts do all they can to find a reason why they shouldn't give you a loan (eg: You are financially strong, but co-signed on your kid's car loan).

I'm guessing we pay 1/4% more at Citizen's, and have just bought a house. I think that translates to $30 a month on $200k, but we'll pay the 30 yr loan off in 5-6 yrs. We're actually better off than with a lower interest 15 year loan (1% diff) -> IF we put the difference in mortgage payment into a 401k. (Assumption: We are currently in a pretty high tax bracket.)

Citizens has been no pressure and they've been helpful walking us through everything. Thanks Anthony!

[NIPAS K-9]

Hi. We are hoping to contact a mortgage loan originator to discuss the mortgage process.

We want to purchase in the fall .. but are looking at getting all of our ducks in order :)

Does anyone have any recommendations from this list (from the Citizens website listing their mortgage loan originators)?
Glenda Adams
James Balthazer
Casey Cree
Robert Cree
Richard Grossman
Dawn Duval
Sharon Jensen
Brenda Faye Nelson
Oliver Chad Eston
Isabel Maria Quisenberry
Anthony Sciacchitano
Dean Smith
Debra Smith
Steve Koller


Thank you.
DEBRA SMITH, was great and has my vote.

[rp001]

Chad Oliver

[KathyN]

James Balthazar was most helpful.

[NYGUY]

For big ticket items, like a mortgage, it is best to shop around to get what is best for you. That may be Citizens or it might be someone else. In our case, it turned out to be Bank of America (Susan Davis - Parr Drive Office). We got a great rate and great service. No problem meeting 30 day deadline....we were ready in 3 weeks....The Villages attorneys needed 4 weeks!!