Planet Home Lending’s Henry Brandt

Henry Brandt: I got into the mortgage industry by accident. When I graduated from college in Illinois, I moved to California, where my older brother lived. I had a job lined up that suited my business degree in organizational management, but the position was eliminated before I could start. I scrambled – I didn’t know what to do. I began searching for jobs and answered an ad that got me into the mortgage business as a loan officer in 1992. The ad initially attracted me because it mentioned that loan officers could make six figures.

My career really took off when I became a wholesale rep. It clicked, and I really liked it. I realized that in this business if you work hard, have good communication and provide excellent service, your business grows. I still follow those values today.

MPA: What are the threats to your business, your success, and how are you handling them? Have you ever been so discouraged you wanted to quit?

HB: The biggest threat is resisting the rapid change occurring in our industry. I benefit from change because I’m at a company that embraces it. Whether it’s consumer-facing technology, delivering self-service options to customers, or gaining efficiency improvements from automated underwriting, embracing change provides a competitive advantage. Embracing technology and providing better service can be the difference between closing a loan or not.

I can’t say I’ve ever been discouraged – I have been fortunate in my career.