June 6, 2025 • 9 mins
We spoke with President and CEO Nick Caplanson, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer Nick Statoulas, VP and Residential Loan Officer Bill Anderson about how they are involved in the community and assisting their customers in the current home buying market.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, Thank you for listening to iHeart Communities. My
guests this morning are from Dime Bank. I have President
and CEO Nick Kaplitzen here also executive vice president and
chief Operating Officer nix To Tullis, and we also have
as a guest Bill Anderson, vice President, Residential Loan Officer.
Good morning, gentlemen, Good morning, good morning, welcome back. We
(00:22):
are now getting toward the beginning of summer. How are
things at Dime Bank.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Nick Allison, They're going exceptionally well this year. We're having
a really strong start to the year earlier and momentum
is carrying through into the summer months here. We're really
gearing up. As you know, we're very active in the community.
We've got a lot of events coming up. One of
(00:46):
my favorites of the year, there's actually a few, but
this is one of them. Is in Manchester. It's Cruisin'
on Maine in early August. Very large car show, great
community events, and that's what we're all about. As you know,
we've been very active in the greater Hartford community.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yes, you're absolutely amazing. Nixed to toolists. Let's talk a
little bit about the current home buying market. In our area.
I literally just bought a condo about three weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Oh that's great.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
What are you seeing at Dime Bank.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, we're seeing applications are off at this time of
the year for us house and which is a little
bit of a change for us from what we've seen
in the last year. But we're seeing an interest in
first time home buyer mortgages as well as home echuy
lines of credit. As we know, the inventory for new
homes is not necessarily there or what it's been in
previous years, so folks are looking for opportunity to access
(01:38):
the equity within their homes for purposes like home improvement
or sending their kids to school. So that's certainly an opportunity.
And we also know now as the what's the old adage,
spring has sprung, so folks are starting to think about
construction loans and building their own homes. So folks that
are interested in construction loans, this is a perfect opportunity
to speak to one of our professionals to talk about
(02:00):
our team of lenders as a relationship lenders. These are
our team of professionals that are really well adept at
uncovering opportunities. Talking to our clients and offering solutions that
are tailor made to fit their solutions.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Isn't that wonderful that all of this is available for
home buyers.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
It is perfect time of the year for us. We
certainly welcome opportunities speak to our existing clients as well
as new clients. So if you're in the need for
any type of lending solution, please do reach out to
us at Dimebank.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
It can be extremely stressful buying something for the rest
of your life. You want to talk to somebody who understands,
who's knowledgeable, who has patience, and that is Time.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Bank, Absolutely, and that's a big part of it, Alison.
It's relationship of finding somebody that you're comfortable with, finding
somebody that wants to invest the time and having that
conversation with you and offering a solution to meet your needs.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
And we have one of your lenders here with us today.
I mentioned earlier, Bill Anderson is here. Thank you for
joining us.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Can you tell us a little bit about your back
and what brought you to Dime Bank.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Sure, I worked for another local community bank for twenty
five years, leading the retail banking area, which was comprised
of the branches marketing along with the mortgage lending area.
So I know a little bit about lending. I know
from the application, through processing and underwriting and closing. In
twenty nineteen, that bank was purchased and I left and
(03:23):
went to a mortgage company. And after about five years
with the mortgage company, I decided that I really missed
the community banking.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I missed the involvement.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
And so I've known Nick Haplinson for a number of
years and I reached out to him, and I'm happy
to say that I joined Dime Bank in January this year.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
How lucky are you to be friends with him? Huh
right and be able to reach out exactly gets it done.
He has a heart of gold as someone who has
boots on the ground when it comes to the local
residential market. What are you seeing in your day to
day actions with your customers.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
Sure, Hartford is one of the top metro areas in
the country. We're seeing homes getting purchased at at least
five percent over the purchase price. There's just not enough
inventory to meet to the demand of the home buyers.
And so what I'm seeing from real estate agents that
I work with there's just so many offers coming in.
(04:15):
For example, one of the agents that I work with closely,
his listing had thirty showings and they receive twenty offers.
So it's really important that you have a comprehensive and
strong offer. So I work with my clients and also
they're real it or to strategize to come up with
the best offer to make sure that their offer gets accepted.
Another thing we're seeing is first time home buyers are
(04:37):
struggling with rising interest rates as well as rising housing prices,
and so there's a preconceived notion out there that adjustable
rate mortgages aren't the best thing for people. And you know,
I have a lot of conversations with people, educating them
on the difference between a first rate, a fixed rate mortgage,
(04:57):
and an adjustable rate mortgage. A lot of times the
adjustable rate mortgage might be a better option for the client.
In fact, I'm working with somebody right now on a
two hundred and eighty five thousand dollars mortgage. They're going
to save like one hundred and ninety dollars a month
just by going with our adjustable rate mortgage versus the
fixed Nick talked about home equity loans and how equity
(05:18):
lines a credit.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
There's a lot of homeowners out there that have.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
Two three percent mortgage rates, you know, because they refinanced,
you know, a few years ago, and those people don't
want to give.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Up that mortgage.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
They don't want to sell that house and go into
a higher rate. So they're talking about, I've got all
this equity, I want to renovate.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
What can I do?
Speaker 5 (05:38):
So we help them take advantage of that equity through
a home equity line of credit or second mortgage to
be able to do that renovation or pay off higher
interest rate to at.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I think that's wonderful. I know that when I purchased
my place, I thought, oh my gosh, this is so high.
But I can refinance at another time.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Yeah, you can definitely refinance.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
So you may buy high at this moment, but that's okay.
Later down the road, you can refinance and bring that
interest right down.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Right.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
I think one of the important things right now is
if you find a house that you like in this market,
try to secure it, get the mortgage, and then there's.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Always the opportunity to refinanced on the road.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yes, that is so wonderful. NIXT to toolists described you
and your colleagues as relationship lenders. What does that mean
for your customers and how is what you do different
from the service they might receive from an online lender.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Whether you're a first time home buyer or an experienced homeowner,
my role is to guide you through that process.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
I'm with you every step of the way.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
So on a day to day basis, we're talking with
clients about the mortgage through approval process. You know, what's
needed to get your mortgage approved in the end. You know,
we talk about loan closing costs and down payments, down
payment assistance, and so we're with that customer throughout that process.
And at the end of every conversation, I always answer
their questions and say, you know, in an hour or two,
(07:01):
what seems to make sense right now, isn't going to
call us back, you know, text me, email me. I
want you to feel comfortable through this process and be
informed as much as you can, so I think, you know,
we we help the customer through that process and don't
leave anything unanswered for them so that they can sleep
a night comfortable what they're doing. We also work with
(07:23):
CHFA and have a grant program where we can offer
down payment assistance to clients. We live and work in
the communities that we serve, so we're able to you know,
understand that market, know the local real estate agents, the
local attorneys. I mentioned earlier that you know, I strategize
to put together that best offer, and once that offer
(07:44):
is submitted, I'll reach out to the listing agent who's
selling that property and let the client know how qualified
that buyer is. And that really goes a long way,
and some of my clients have gotten their offer accepted
because the listing agent and that seller knows how qualified
they are.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
You have the absolute perfect personality for this. I'm Italian,
so I had to go with my cousin Michael to
do everything associated with my home, and I would call
him constantly in text. I know I drove him crazy.
I sent him a gift certificate to apologize, but it
is extremely stressful because what does this mean? Michael? Do
I fill this out? Michael? Do I need an attorney
(08:20):
for closing? Michael? It was just NonStop. So I can
see by looking at you and hearing you, you're not
that person. You're kind and patient, and that's exactly what
someone needs when they're doing something with a huge undertaking
like this.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Thank you. Yeah, it's a big process. You know.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
We do it every day, day in and day out,
so we're the experts and we can help you. Another
thing that's great for us is that our underwriters and
our processors who handle the mortgage application are all local,
our main offices in Norwich, so we're right here and
be able to assist you.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And isn't it wonderful when you lay down at night
you think, Wow, they have their home and I helped
in the process of that.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Yeah, it's such a rewarding experience.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I'm speaking with Nick Kaplinson, President and CEO, Nick Detoulis,
Executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Bill Anderson,
vice president, Residential loan officer from Dimebank. If you'd like
more information about everything we talked about, go to dime
dashbank dot com. Gentlemen, thank you so much for being
here today and for continuing to serve the community.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Thank you all same.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Thank you
Good morning, Thank you for listening to iHeart Communities. My
guests this morning are from Dime Bank. I have President
and CEO Nick Kaplitzen here also executive vice president and
chief Operating Officer nix To Tullis, and we also have
as a guest Bill Anderson, vice President, Residential Loan Officer.
Good morning, gentlemen, Good morning, good morning, welcome back. We
(00:22):
are now getting toward the beginning of summer. How are
things at Dime Bank.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Nick Allison, They're going exceptionally well this year. We're having
a really strong start to the year earlier and momentum
is carrying through into the summer months here. We're really
gearing up. As you know, we're very active in the community.
We've got a lot of events coming up. One of
(00:46):
my favorites of the year, there's actually a few, but
this is one of them. Is in Manchester. It's Cruisin'
on Maine in early August. Very large car show, great
community events, and that's what we're all about. As you know,
we've been very active in the greater Hartford community.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Yes, you're absolutely amazing. Nixed to toolists. Let's talk a
little bit about the current home buying market. In our area.
I literally just bought a condo about three weeks ago.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Oh that's great.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
What are you seeing at Dime Bank.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, we're seeing applications are off at this time of
the year for us house and which is a little
bit of a change for us from what we've seen
in the last year. But we're seeing an interest in
first time home buyer mortgages as well as home echuy
lines of credit. As we know, the inventory for new
homes is not necessarily there or what it's been in
previous years, so folks are looking for opportunity to access
(01:38):
the equity within their homes for purposes like home improvement
or sending their kids to school. So that's certainly an opportunity.
And we also know now as the what's the old adage,
spring has sprung, so folks are starting to think about
construction loans and building their own homes. So folks that
are interested in construction loans, this is a perfect opportunity
to speak to one of our professionals to talk about
(02:00):
our team of lenders as a relationship lenders. These are
our team of professionals that are really well adept at
uncovering opportunities. Talking to our clients and offering solutions that
are tailor made to fit their solutions.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Isn't that wonderful that all of this is available for
home buyers.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
It is perfect time of the year for us. We
certainly welcome opportunities speak to our existing clients as well
as new clients. So if you're in the need for
any type of lending solution, please do reach out to
us at Dimebank.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
It can be extremely stressful buying something for the rest
of your life. You want to talk to somebody who understands,
who's knowledgeable, who has patience, and that is Time.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Bank, Absolutely, and that's a big part of it, Alison.
It's relationship of finding somebody that you're comfortable with, finding
somebody that wants to invest the time and having that
conversation with you and offering a solution to meet your needs.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
And we have one of your lenders here with us today.
I mentioned earlier, Bill Anderson is here. Thank you for
joining us.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Can you tell us a little bit about your back
and what brought you to Dime Bank.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Sure, I worked for another local community bank for twenty
five years, leading the retail banking area, which was comprised
of the branches marketing along with the mortgage lending area.
So I know a little bit about lending. I know
from the application, through processing and underwriting and closing. In
twenty nineteen, that bank was purchased and I left and
(03:23):
went to a mortgage company. And after about five years
with the mortgage company, I decided that I really missed
the community banking.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
I missed the involvement.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
And so I've known Nick Haplinson for a number of
years and I reached out to him, and I'm happy
to say that I joined Dime Bank in January this year.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
How lucky are you to be friends with him? Huh
right and be able to reach out exactly gets it done.
He has a heart of gold as someone who has
boots on the ground when it comes to the local
residential market. What are you seeing in your day to
day actions with your customers.
Speaker 5 (03:55):
Sure, Hartford is one of the top metro areas in
the country. We're seeing homes getting purchased at at least
five percent over the purchase price. There's just not enough
inventory to meet to the demand of the home buyers.
And so what I'm seeing from real estate agents that
I work with there's just so many offers coming in.
(04:15):
For example, one of the agents that I work with closely,
his listing had thirty showings and they receive twenty offers.
So it's really important that you have a comprehensive and
strong offer. So I work with my clients and also
they're real it or to strategize to come up with
the best offer to make sure that their offer gets accepted.
Another thing we're seeing is first time home buyers are
(04:37):
struggling with rising interest rates as well as rising housing prices,
and so there's a preconceived notion out there that adjustable
rate mortgages aren't the best thing for people. And you know,
I have a lot of conversations with people, educating them
on the difference between a first rate, a fixed rate mortgage,
(04:57):
and an adjustable rate mortgage. A lot of times the
adjustable rate mortgage might be a better option for the client.
In fact, I'm working with somebody right now on a
two hundred and eighty five thousand dollars mortgage. They're going
to save like one hundred and ninety dollars a month
just by going with our adjustable rate mortgage versus the
fixed Nick talked about home equity loans and how equity
(05:18):
lines a credit.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
There's a lot of homeowners out there that have.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
Two three percent mortgage rates, you know, because they refinanced,
you know, a few years ago, and those people don't
want to give.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Up that mortgage.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
They don't want to sell that house and go into
a higher rate. So they're talking about, I've got all
this equity, I want to renovate.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
What can I do?
Speaker 5 (05:38):
So we help them take advantage of that equity through
a home equity line of credit or second mortgage to
be able to do that renovation or pay off higher
interest rate to at.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
I think that's wonderful. I know that when I purchased
my place, I thought, oh my gosh, this is so high.
But I can refinance at another time.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Yeah, you can definitely refinance.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
So you may buy high at this moment, but that's okay.
Later down the road, you can refinance and bring that
interest right down.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
Right.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
I think one of the important things right now is
if you find a house that you like in this market,
try to secure it, get the mortgage, and then there's.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Always the opportunity to refinanced on the road.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yes, that is so wonderful. NIXT to toolists described you
and your colleagues as relationship lenders. What does that mean
for your customers and how is what you do different
from the service they might receive from an online lender.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
Whether you're a first time home buyer or an experienced homeowner,
my role is to guide you through that process.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
I'm with you every step of the way.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
So on a day to day basis, we're talking with
clients about the mortgage through approval process. You know, what's
needed to get your mortgage approved in the end. You know,
we talk about loan closing costs and down payments, down
payment assistance, and so we're with that customer throughout that process.
And at the end of every conversation, I always answer
their questions and say, you know, in an hour or two,
(07:01):
what seems to make sense right now, isn't going to
call us back, you know, text me, email me. I
want you to feel comfortable through this process and be
informed as much as you can, so I think, you know,
we we help the customer through that process and don't
leave anything unanswered for them so that they can sleep
a night comfortable what they're doing. We also work with
(07:23):
CHFA and have a grant program where we can offer
down payment assistance to clients. We live and work in
the communities that we serve, so we're able to you know,
understand that market, know the local real estate agents, the
local attorneys. I mentioned earlier that you know, I strategize
to put together that best offer, and once that offer
(07:44):
is submitted, I'll reach out to the listing agent who's
selling that property and let the client know how qualified
that buyer is. And that really goes a long way,
and some of my clients have gotten their offer accepted
because the listing agent and that seller knows how qualified
they are.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
You have the absolute perfect personality for this. I'm Italian,
so I had to go with my cousin Michael to
do everything associated with my home, and I would call
him constantly in text. I know I drove him crazy.
I sent him a gift certificate to apologize, but it
is extremely stressful because what does this mean? Michael? Do
I fill this out? Michael? Do I need an attorney
(08:20):
for closing? Michael? It was just NonStop. So I can
see by looking at you and hearing you, you're not
that person. You're kind and patient, and that's exactly what
someone needs when they're doing something with a huge undertaking
like this.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Thank you. Yeah, it's a big process. You know.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
We do it every day, day in and day out,
so we're the experts and we can help you. Another
thing that's great for us is that our underwriters and
our processors who handle the mortgage application are all local,
our main offices in Norwich, so we're right here and
be able to assist you.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
And isn't it wonderful when you lay down at night
you think, Wow, they have their home and I helped
in the process of that.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Yeah, it's such a rewarding experience.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
I'm speaking with Nick Kaplinson, President and CEO, Nick Detoulis,
Executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Bill Anderson,
vice president, Residential loan officer from Dimebank. If you'd like
more information about everything we talked about, go to dime
dashbank dot com. Gentlemen, thank you so much for being
here today and for continuing to serve the community.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Thank you all same.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Thank you
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