January 8, 2025 • 36 mins
David Ocasio Ross is the dynamic AVP of Mortgage Sales at AmeriCU Credit Union, who opens up about his remarkable journey in the credit union mortgage landscape. David's compelling story is not just about career achievements but also about building authentic relationships that transcend the boundaries of professional life. As we celebrate New Year milestones, David shares insights from his past experiences and offers a fresh perspective on what it means to truly be oneself in today’s fast-paced industry.
Discover the power of authenticity in the business world as ACUMA President Peter Benjamin and David explore how sincerity can be the cornerstone of successful relationships. David recounts balancing his professional aspirations with his personal life, shedding light on the importance of being genuine, whether on LinkedIn or with team members. The discussion delves into the nuances of fostering a culture of transparency and connection, particularly in rural areas where reputation holds immense value. Tune in now!
Sponsored by Xactus.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The views and opinions expressed in this
podcast do not necessarilyreflect the views or positions
of Acuma, its board of directors, its management staff or its
members.
The podcast discussionpresented is conversational in
nature and for generalinformation only.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hello and welcome to Acumen's All-Point Podcast, a
series focused on sharing thestories of people who are making
a positive impact in the creditunion mortgage industry.
I'm your host.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Peter Benjamin.
Before we get to our episode,just a quick word from our
sponsor.
This episode is sponsored byZactus.
Zactus is an exclusive Acumaservice provider for credit
reporting, verification servicesand flood determinations.
They are advancing the modernmortgage as the leading
verification innovator in theindustry, serving over 6,500
(01:02):
clients, including hundreds ofcredit union mortgage lenders.
Zactus delivers a spectrum ofsolutions ranging from
pre-application to post-close.
These solutions can beseamlessly bundled to improve
cost controls, enhanceefficiencies and consolidate
vendor management.
Committed to excellence, zactussupports Acuma members with its
(01:23):
best-in-class service,including a dedicated account
manager.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Today I am joined by David Ocasio-Ross, avp of
Mortgage Sales with AmeriQCredit Union.
David, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
today I'm doing well, Peter.
Happy holidays.
How are you?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I am fantastic and really it's.
It's happy new year, but youknow, david, looking forward to
our conversation, I'm a fan ofyours, one of those I don't say
a fan from afar, but I'mcertainly a fan of yours.
I love what you're doing and,of course you know Alyssa is a
(02:01):
board member, so I've had theopportunity to get to get to
know you over the years, reallyexcited for this conversation.
But before we get to it, asalways, I take a pause.
Got to bring the Hawk into theconversation.
Hawk, what's the latest andgreatest happening over at Acuma
?
And, by the way, how are youdoing?
(02:23):
I'm good, peter.
How are you?
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Living the dream man, Just living the dream.
Well, first and foremost, happynew year to all of our
listeners.
I stumbled on that word.
I'm still recovering, as youcan tell.
Wait, sobering up or you knowdefinitely not sobering up,
still just enjoying the enjoyingthe flow here.
(02:45):
New Year was amazing, so I'mexcited that here we are in 2025
.
But things going on over hereat Acuma, registration has
officially opened for ourViewpoint Regional Summit, which
will be held in Pensacola,florida, on April 8th and 9th
this year.
So I'm extremely excited.
We've kind of worked hard onthat agenda.
(03:08):
It's still coming together, Iknow, but great content and
great experiences are going tobe had, because this year we're
doing it a little different.
Sure, not only are we going tohave that exceptional
educational content, but we'vealso included an amazing
experience.
So we get to go see the BlueWahoo Minor League Baseball team
.
Wahoo, wahoo.
(03:29):
I wonder if that's their chant.
I'm serious.
We're going to make it.
So I think if we get everybodywho attends to just stand there
at the thing and just go wow asloud as possible, if it's not a
thing, it will be a thing.
But it's not a thing, it willbe a thing but it, but it's not.
I'll be so disappointed if it'sthat's the experience you're
(03:51):
looking forward to is just toknow that that's their chant.
But I mean, I mean we have aparty deck.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yep, I mean you can't .
I mean I know wahoo's a fish,but still I mean you can't have.
You can't say it without sayingit like that, right, I mean you
.
Yeah, in my experience at can'tsay it without saying it like
that right.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I mean, yeah, in my experience at any of these
sporting events, all it takes isone small part of the audience
to really start it.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
No, no, no, no, no.
You need one drunken person.
Well, I mean, I've never seenanybody like that at an Acuma
event, so we're good.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I've never seen anybody like that at an Acuma
event, so we're good.
But beyond that, we have ourFocal Point workshops.
Registration will be openingsoon for those as well.
Those are going to be in Mayand June, so be on the lookout
for those event updates comingout soon.
And then we have our Fast Trackand Inside Track webinar series
.
Those are happening year-round.
So even if you can't make it toan in-person event which the
(04:45):
question I will always ask iswhy not?
We're awesome.
Be sure to come out, but if not, we have educational content
for you to take in all year long.
And then, lastly, our YoungProfessional Network is having
their Q1 meeting in February.
More information is coming onthat soon, so be sure to keep an
eye out in your inboxes for youto attend that awesome meeting
(05:09):
with the YPN crew Awesome, thankyou very much.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Appreciate it.
All.
Right, david, on to you Nowagain.
As I mentioned, I am a fan.
I kind of watch your career.
I've been watching it whileyou're at Sunmark.
Um, you know, I've beenconnected with, with Alyssa, you
know, for quite some time.
Um, you know, and obviously youknow, here you are at AmeriQ
(05:34):
and I've I've gotten anopportunity to get to know you,
um, but you know, one of thethings that that that blows me
away is it's just who you are,as you know, as a person, and I
want to get to that a bit more.
Um, but but before we do, I andagain, this is this how I
always preface this question youknow, I always ask the same two
(05:55):
questions at the beginning andthe end.
Um, you know, the akba on pointpodcast is a people piece.
The same question is is alwaysasked.
The first question is alwayswhat makes David David?
Who is David?
So that's the first questionthat I always ask, and I'll ask
the next question at the end.
But so what makes David David?
(06:16):
We'll start with that.
Let's get to know who you arefirst, and you can take that
however you want.
You can take it personal, youcan keep it personal, you can
keep it professional.
It's really up to you how youanswer that question.
So first question what makesDavid David?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Well, peter, it's a great question.
I think what makes me me,whether it's personally or
professionally, I think part ofwhat makes me unique in both
fields is that I like to look atmyself as the same exact person
in both settings.
I think that's really part ofbeing your true, authentic self.
You know, whether you're anavid sports fan, a devoted
(06:52):
father, a dedicated professionalin the mortgage field or
whatever field that you'reworking in, being able to
combine and, you know, trulyrelay that aura of all three
with your clients, with yourmembers, with your business
partners, that's all part ofwhat makes someone their true,
authentic self.
(07:13):
For me personally, I definitelylook at myself as a father.
First, I have an 11-year-olddaughter very involved in her
life.
I also coach both her schooland her AAU competitive
basketball teams.
And, you know, outside of that,you know there's just the 13
years of experience working inthe financial institutions
(07:35):
almost three years in themortgage space as part of that,
and I've been very fortunateenough to come across some great
mentors throughout this 13years that have, you know, got
me here today.
So I like to just reciprocatethat, whether it's on LinkedIn,
any type of social media,facebook, so that way you get an
idea of who you're dealing withand who you're working with and
you know.
(07:56):
You get to say see that youknow we're people too.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
No, and I'm glad you said that you keep using the
word.
You know authentic and you knowyour authentic self and I think
that's why I wanted to have youon this podcast.
You know, the more I get toknow you and the more I kind of
watch you on LinkedIn, I thinkthat's why you're right.
It's you are authentic.
(08:20):
You know your.
Your posts on LinkedIn'regenuine when you read them, you
know it's about who you are andyour dedication to your one,
your craft, but two, you knowyour family and it's just about
being who you are and you're notgoing to portray who.
You are right, and I think thatis something special, right?
(08:44):
You know we all go out thereand we talk about hey, you know,
as leaders, it's about thework-life balance, right, but
I'm guilty of it.
It's I don't know necessarily,you know.
You know, walk the walk.
I tell Justin all the timefamily first, right, but then I
bury myself in work, right,right, not, I'm not walking the
walk, right, but I, I, I lovethat.
(09:08):
I think it was probably about amonth ago.
I want to say, right afterthanksgiving you, you had a
great post right after you cameback from, like your
thanksgiving vacation with youknow about your time spent with
you know, I think like a weekand a half off, like with your,
with your family and yourdaughter, and it was great,
(09:29):
right, if my kids were oldenough, I would post family pics
on LinkedIn, because they arethe thing that motivates me.
So you know they are.
You know I love that.
You know your authentic self issomething that that focuses on.
Your is one self, is somethingthat you focus on.
Your is one of the things thatyou keep referencing.
Now, coming back to why youknow this is going to be like
(09:52):
the main center or the mainfocus on our conversation is
because for you, in our preppedto this conversation, that that,
that, that that focus on beinggenuine, that focus on being
your authentic self, that's notsomething you kind of just live
and breathe.
That's something that you kindof say to your team hey, I want
(10:15):
you to be this way too.
I don't want you to betray whoyou are.
Go out there and be Steve, beLisa, be Laura, be Johnny, and
that's who you are, and don'ttry being someone else.
Is.
Am I?
Am I putting words in yourmouth, or or?
Speaker 2 (10:31):
not at all.
Not at all.
No, you're.
You hit it right on the nail.
You know, when I look at thethe success that you know this
organization and my team haddepartment had as a whole, and
24, you know that was a big partof that and there was most
certainly some growing pains.
You know, because it does.
When you look at it inhindsight, it definitely puts
you in a weird spot to be ableto talk about yourself
(10:55):
comfortably.
You know, whether you have 30years of experience in the field
or 30 minutes of experience inthe field, you know one thing
that does not change is whetherit's a client, whether it's a
business partner, whether it'sboth, you know they're still
going to want to know whothey're doing business with or
who they're having theconversation with.
So, being able to reflect thatin a way that is as true and
(11:15):
authentic to you as possible,while still representing your
organization the best way youcan.
So, yeah, there's been just aton of great conversations with
my team and being able torecognize that um and really use
that as a cornerstone of beingable to build their sphere of
influence and expand on that Um,you know, and they've done such
(11:36):
a great job with it too.
So I'm super proud of them.
Shout out to the all my LOs andand uh, you know, those that are
working the field, that atiCube, but it's huge.
It's huge because that's reallywhat has elevated this team,
the sales team, to one of thelevels our ability to advertise
ourselves as exactly who we are.
(11:58):
Do we have kids?
Are we married?
Who are we?
Behind the title, theprofessional title, and then
that has led to furtherconversation about you know SU,
sports, family gatherings.
You know an invite to thehousewarming, you know it, just
(12:18):
it.
It really helps us buildheartfelt, meaningful
relationships.
And then you take it a stepfurther and, from a referral
standpoint, you know our names,ring bells, just because we've
taken that true, authenticapproach.
So again, shout out to the teambecause they've done such a
great job at adapting that.
But it really takes being ableto make yourself uncomfortable
(12:39):
to get comfortable doing that.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
And correct me if I'm wrong.
Like you guys aren't in, likeyou're not in like a cityscape,
you're pretty spread out inupstate New York, right?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yeah, 24 counties.
Yeah, yeah, a lot of ruralareas.
I mean there's some areas thatobviously you know we've got
like Syracuse and Utica, romearea and you know, stretching
out toward Binghamton, so youknow, in some areas absolutely,
but yeah, there's, there'sdefinitely others that have
really put us in quite theposition where we've had to
(13:15):
focus on building thoserelationships.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
So the reason I ask that question?
I'm sorry to interrupt you, butin those cases where you are so
spread out, right, yourreputation becomes very
important, right, it's.
It's one thing when you're in acityscape and you have, you
know, numbers are in your favor,right, and you have, like this
dense population where, if youknow one realtor as an example
(13:42):
doesn't work with you, well,there's other fish in the sea.
Right, when you're in a ruralarea and there's maybe only 10
realtors in a very rural county,well, there's really not other
fish in the sea.
You have to have a soundreputation.
(14:03):
They have to know who you are.
Well, you know is.
Is David a family man?
Well, does.
Does David coach his, his, youknow his daughter's basketball
team?
You know it's.
Are they winning championships?
Is he a good coach?
You know it's like you knowthey're.
They're going to ask thosequestions.
That becomes very important inthose settings, much different
(14:25):
than you know.
Again, I'm in the DC area.
Yeah, it's different here,right, oh, yeah, it changes the
game, changes the game.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
You know me personally.
I've gotten a few referralsfrom parents whose child I
coached.
And when you look at how thatin hindsight, how that
relationship developed, you knowit started on the basketball
court.
It started with instructiontoward you know their child.
It started with, you know,one-on-one conversations with
them about, you know what theyneed to work on and and you know
(14:55):
what they're doing great at and, um, you know, highlighting
points of recognition.
And then that right there led tohey, what do you do?
What do do?
Again, I heard you work for abank that's close by.
Then you know you got toquickly correct them.
Ah, it's better union, betterunion, but we, uh, I'm sorry,
we're the good guys, um, butthen we, we start, you know, we
(15:17):
start talking about life, like,we start talking about goals.
We start talking about, uh, youknow just just what their scope
looks like and like and whatthey want as a family and you
know why they feel like theyhaven't been able to achieve it
thus far.
And that, I think, is where youstart to see, you know, the
doors really open up for youbecause now they're matching
that vulnerability.
(15:38):
Sure, you're doing somethingyou love.
It's just something that you doon a regular basis, coaching,
working with children, you know,providing instruction to this
young age group 10, 11, 12, 13year olds but then, all of a
sudden, now you've got theirparents and you know their aunts
, their uncles, really askingquestions hey, I heard you do
this, I heard you do that andthey get vulnerable with you and
(16:00):
how you receive that, I think,really is just key to where that
relationship goes.
And it's led to some great,great relationships with with
some business owners, with justindividuals that have continued
to pour their trust into myselfor any members of my team.
You know it really changes thegame and it allows them to also
(16:22):
see that I said like, oh, thisis what he's, this is what he's
great at, this is what he does.
Well, this is this is wherehe's been able to be vulnerable
with us about why it took him solong to buy a house and what
his reservations were.
So, yeah, very thankful for thatpiece, but it really does, in
this market, go such a long way,especially when they they know
what you do for a living, theyknow what puts food on the table
(16:46):
, they know what your career is,they know where you work and
they know the brand.
That's another thing.
It's not just the personalreputation, it's the reputation
of the organization you work for.
That really rings bells acrossour footprint, so that certainly
helps the cause.
Well, I've heard good thingsabout AmeriQ, but I don't know
much about a mortgage and theygo from there.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
So I think that's so important, right?
Because oftentimes, you know,especially newer loan officers
or I'm going to take a step backyeah, loan officers within
credit unions they think, ok,well, it was just one smooth
transaction, right, I can expectthe next transaction from this
(17:26):
realtor, right?
Well, no, not necessarily.
Right.
It is about building those.
One, it's about building thattrust.
Two, it's about building thatrelationship, right, and it's
not necessarily about coffee.
How many realtors want to keepgoing out to coffee?
They probably can't stand it,right.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
I know.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Right.
But what they probably reallywant is someone who they can
have a sit down with or relateto, they can trust.
It's someone who they can trustour kids with, right, that's
probably who they want to workwith.
And I mean, granted, itprobably plays your favor that
you, that you are in this, thisrural area, where you know it is
(18:05):
a even though, yes, it isspread out it is more of a
close-knit community, right,where I don't see you're forced
to do it, but you are forced tobe that loan officer, right,
right, that does help.
Now, it forces you to work alot harder.
Oh, absolutely, absolutely, I'dagree.
It makes you a better loanofficer.
It makes you a a better loanofficer.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Make sure a lot better loan officer to your
point too, when you startthinking about, um, just word of
mouth in the dc area, or evenjust what I'm used to, because
before I relocated up this way,um, you know where were you
before you started here I'll sayI was in the albany area which
is, which is, for all intentsand purposes, a good sized city.
(18:47):
Right, absolutely, absolutely.
So you know relocating off thisway.
You see, when you're doingbusiness in towns where you know
their high school graduatingclass is like one hundred and
fifty or less.
I had I had me personally atAlbany High let me say I had
(19:08):
upwards of over a thousand, youknow, in 2008.
So when you think about whatthat looks like and then how you
know a lot of these individualsthere, you know this is where
they're from, this is wherethey're born, they're proud to
represent their communities, butthey know everyone.
So if you do have that one badtransaction with someone who has
(19:29):
really built their book ofbusiness as being the trusted
real estate agent or a trustedappraiser or a trusted inspector
in these markets, that one badtransaction, they start talking
about it.
It goes everywhere.
It doesn't necessarily have tobe on Facebook or whatever, it's
just that word of mouth.
And then you know, you see howwidespread that impact is and
(19:50):
how people start to shy awayfrom you because of it.
So it really does intensify theneed to be able to, you know,
bring your A game.
But also, too, if this is whatyou do on a regular basis, you
know it shouldn't really requireany type of prep.
It does get takes and gettingused to.
But when you sit here and youcarry through your day to day as
(20:11):
your true self, you know theystart to see this happy guy
that's, that's playing Christmasmusic into January they start
to see this this happy guythat's still playing Justin
Bieber's Christmas album, or,you know, still dancing around
the office, or you know it, justit, it.
It goes so far in these tightknit communities and these
(20:31):
smaller communities.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
No, Justin, I saw you lean in.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
Yeah, I mean I, I, I love everything you're saying.
We talk about um.
Last year, we talked about likebeing your authentic self on
social, and I love that you're.
You're not even talking aboutsocial, you're just talking
about being you and love thatyou're.
You're not even talking aboutsocial, you're just talking
about being you.
And and that's awesome, becausein the communities that you're
talking about like, you can'tafford to be anything other than
like you can't fake it Likeyou're.
(20:55):
Either you either got that fora lack of better words, swagger
right.
You've either got the swaggerto like hold that conversation
and to be like a genuinely niceperson who is out there
interested in getting to knowothers, or you don't.
So like, I think it's amazingthat you're out there doing that
and the word of mouth, um,which is one of my all time
(21:16):
favorite marketing terms, by theway.
So I appreciate you bringingmarketing into the conversation.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Oh, absolutely, without a doubt.
Speaker 5 (21:22):
Send the payment later.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Oh absolutely Without a doubt.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Send the payment later.
No, the word of mouth, like youcan't, you can't put a dollar
on that you can't put, you can'tquantify how much that actually
means and the value it reallyholds.
So I think it's, I think it'sgood that you're, you recognize
that and you you're, you see thepotential of the impact that
that that has and how it canhelp grow your, your community.
(21:46):
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Yeah, no, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
You know to that point, you know it really just
brings to light you know what,what truly it does take to to
make a great impression.
And a lot of these people, youknow they can't, they can, they
can read between the lines, youknow they could see.
You know, behind, behind asmoke, the smoke that you're
(22:09):
putting up, that, that if you'retrying to put up a facade or
you know, they can see the dish.
Yeah, for sure, for sure, Wellput, well, that's not.
Yeah, they can sense that too,you know, and that also just
leaves a bad taste in people'smouths and it's definitely
something that you look to avoid.
(22:30):
But you know, that's why I told, when I talk to my team and
just in general, whether it's myteam, my daughter, the girls I
coach.
You know, when we travel tothese different tournaments in
different areas, you are who youare and your game is what I'm
looking to translate on thecourt.
You know, it doesn't matternecessarily what you see with
your eyes, it doesn't matterwhat's what lies ahead of you.
(22:51):
What I'm focused on is you,ladies, playing your game and
bringing the talent that I knoweach and every one of you have
to make this whole completepackage of a team to make a
great impact, game after game.
The same thing with my team, mysales team.
It's, whether it's 30 years ofexperience or 30 minutes, who
are you?
What's in it for them?
You know what do you do.
You know how can you, as anindividual, resonate with them
(23:15):
to the point to where they'restill thinking about you after
the presentation is done and ifthere's a follow up there,
that's absolutely necessary andyou need to sit here and maybe
go another round to just makesure that that.
You know you've made theimpression that you're looking
for um.
You know, go at it, there'sreally nothing to like.
I said it's uncomfortable inthe beginning but you know, once
you dive into it, that's.
(23:35):
That's exactly where.
Where I was when I came intothe mortgage industry, it's.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
I came in on star Wars day 2022.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, I made a fourth .
Be with you.
I knew that was coming.
Yeah, I joined, uh, yeah, Ijoined on May 4th, 22.
And I came from um.
At the time, I was, uh, in abusiness development manager
role, um, and in trying to findmyself within mortgage, I
noticed that it's just frompersonal experience.
I made it so much harder onmyself by trying to develop
something that I that I felt,you know, wanted to be seen or
(24:12):
wanted to be experienced out inour, our, our communities.
It was just so much easier OnceI said, you know, like this,
this, this is who I am, this iswhat I bring to the table, this
is, this is how I can bestrepresent my team and this is
how me and my team can, you know, best represent our
organizations as each other, asthe individuals that were hired,
and to represent our creditunion in these communities.
(24:34):
And then it really took offfrom there.
So definitely some growingpains, for sure, but you know
what's an experience without it.
You know it really sits withyou.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Right.
So, just out of curiosity, howmany loan officers do you have
underneath you?
Sits with you, right?
So just out of curiosity, howmany loan officers do you have
underneath you?
Well, you said 12?
Yes, sir.
Okay, and right now they're allseeing that, they've all bought
into this idea of just goingout being your authentic self,
and they're all seeing thesuccess with their local
realtors.
And 2024 has been a solid yearfor you, right?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, 24 was an amazing year.
You know.
The organization as a wholeachieved their funded loan goal
for the year I exceeded itactually, which was great, you
know ended up with a solidpipeline to carry over to 25,
you know, and I had over half ofmy team not just meet but also
exceed their portion of theannual goal, so their individual
(25:26):
funded loan goals, which wasawesome because it really showed
how much dedication they put toexceeding the mark, not just
hitting it Like what are youreaching for?
Are you reaching for just thatcost?
Right there, Are you trying togo over?
So, yeah, 24, a lot of lessonslearned, but it really took us
and elevated us to a new level.
So that's why it's still allgas, no brakes going into 25.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Right, but I mean it's a testament to the idea of
go out there, build arelationship.
You want one, be you right,yeah, but build the
relationships right.
Take that time, spend a littlebit more time and get to know
these realtors right.
Don't just assume that they'regoing to send you business, but
really get to know them Right,absolutely, and it will.
(26:12):
It will.
That time will be returned toyou tenfold in loan production,
right.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
And if you think about it too, I mean, we've got
layers as people, we've gotlayers as individuals, you know,
and sometimes it takes a littlebit of time to peel back these
layers, to see what makes ustick, you know, and and really
what resonates with us as people.
Um, you know, I may havesomebody that, uh, just because
you know they're a dallas mapsfan and I they they right there,
(26:41):
they tug at the heart strings,or they like kairi ervin, or, um
, they're a, or they like KyrieIrving, or they're a New England
Patriots fan.
I know they're horrible rightnow.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
They've been horrible for a little while now, but
we're going to talk about that.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
You know you may find that you know through their
love of something else thatresonates with you and maybe
that helps, you know, penetratesome of these layers a little
bit sooner.
But sometimes it takes that.
It takes these people gettingto see what your interests are
and you know what you enjoy andyou know what makes you tick for
them to be like I like this guyor I like this girl.
(27:17):
So it really is so important.
And being able to prioritize,because when you think about it,
you know there's a differentlender on every corner, you know
there's a different agent onevery corner, you know there's
so many more opportunities outthere now, um, to make that
impact and to leave a lastingimpression.
So how are you doing so?
You know, how are youdifferentiating yourself from
everyone else?
That's the.
That's awesome all right.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
So I, I have to know guy from albany, not in new york
, not, not a giants fan, not ajets fan, not a Jets fan, not
even a Bills fan, patriots fan.
What's the story?
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Okay, well, so I was adopted, you know, and my
adopted family, they're all fromNew England.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And you know when we go back and we think about you
know what that looked likefinalizing this adoption.
My parents were like, listen,you pick one team.
You can pick a NewEngland-based team.
It can be the Red Sox, it canbe the Patriots, it can be the
Celtics, but we root for NewEngland-based teams in this
household.
I was like all right, if I takeone, I'll take New England, and
(28:19):
I like to blame that choice forall the success that they had
in that solid decade, not TomBrady, not Belichick, it was
right there, it was right there.
That was the change for NewEngland.
But yeah, you know, I'm veryfortunate with the family that I
(28:41):
was adopted into and, yeah,diehard New England fans for all
sports.
And that's how that love of NewEngland Patriots football came
about.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Okay, I appreciate you sharing that story.
Speaker 5 (28:51):
So, hindsight, you should be also really excited
that you chose the Patriots,because at least you got a lot
more highs out of it than lows.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Yeah, it's been low for a little bit for me right
now.
Just for a little bit, but likethe memories I'm grasping onto,
yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
You had a good, strong, I want to say a decade
we had a run we had a run it wasphenomenal.
We certainly did have a runmost hated for for quite some
time, and I don't I don't know,I, I would, I would, I would say
, comparatively speaking, Iprobably hated the patriot less
than I hate the Chiefs.
(29:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Well, funny story about the Chiefs as well.
So I have a cousin that youknow worked in marketing media
marketing for, you know, spanishartists, latino artists when I
was a kid.
She used to date Pat Mahomes Srwhen he was a pitcher on the
Mets.
Yes, and I.
That was my my exposure tobaseball way back when, because
(29:52):
I had the opportunity to sitbehind the dugout at Shea before
they switched to Citi Field.
But now that you know thatrelationship has has since
subsided.
You know it's it's a bit of ajoke between my brothers and
some family members who are like.
You know, if you kept thatrelationship that could have
been your kids, we wouldn't haveto work, you would have been
set and it didn't pan out thatway.
(30:14):
But that's all good All good,that's all good.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
That's all good.
I mean, the funny thing is likethe NFL didn't want the
Patriots to win, but they stillwon.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
The NFL wants the Chiefs to win, right, yeah, oh,
absolutely, that's the bigdifference.
Anyways, we can go into NFLpolitics another day.
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
Pretty sure we're going to have a mini series on
sports.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
That's right.
That's right.
And whether or not the NFL isrigged, there you go, or
scripted, or scripted, all right.
Well, david, we have to starttransitioning for the sake of
time.
I really enjoyed thisconversation.
I know we can keep going on,but you know the final question.
It's the same question I alwaysask, like, like I said, and at
the very beginning, I always askthe same two questions One
(31:00):
beginning, one at the end.
The final question is whatkeeps you going?
What gets you out of bed?
You're, you're, you're.
You take one foot out of bedlike everyone else, but what
keeps you going?
What motivates you?
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Oh, I mean, that's that's an easy one.
You know me personally when,when anyone who has a child I'm
sure they can attest to it too.
You know, when you've got a setof eyes that that look at you
every move and they analyze whatyou do and and your growth and
your development.
I think that's a driving forcein itself.
Analyze what you do and andyour growth and your development
(31:33):
I think that's a driving forcein itself.
You know, when you also lookback me personally outside of
just having a daughter you knowI like to look back in hindsight
as to you know where I startedand you know what that looked
like in terms of adoption and,and you know, coming into a
whole new family, and you knowwhat I went through before that
and then using that as more of afocus point to channel change
(31:55):
and upward momentum and movement.
I think it's a solidcombination that hasn't failed
me yet to continue pushingforward and sharing a positive
message amongst others, whetherit's my team or people that I
meet on the street, or whateverthe case may be.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Okay, I absolutely love that.
I absolutely love that.
I absolutely love that.
All right, david, it's time forus to transition to the second
segment of our podcast.
Now, this is where we sometimesdo Jeopardy, sometimes we do
fun facts, but today we're goingto do the most requested
segment of dad jokes.
Now, you're asked to come withwith a few dad jokes prepared.
Now, hopefully, you have acouple of dad jokes Now.
(32:30):
You're asked to come with witha few dad jokes prepared.
Now, hopefully, you have acouple of dad jokes prepared.
Now, for the sake of time,we're going to do two dad jokes
each, and the way it's going towork is that we're just go
around the horn.
We'll each do our two dad jokes.
So you'll do two dad jokes,justin will do two dad jokes and
I will wrap up the episode withtwo dad jokes, and I will wrap
up the episode with two dadjokes and then we'll just close
(32:51):
out.
Sound good, sound good, allright.
So, david, let's start withyour two dad jokes, if you will,
please.
I gotcha.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Well being at the holidays has just passed.
You know I'm a big fan of theChristmas season, so one of my
personal favorites is how muchmuch did santa pay for his
sleigh?
And everyone has an answer.
I can proceed.
Nothing.
It was a house, that's it.
(33:21):
That's it.
That was good.
Zero percent financing rightthere, that that's amazing.
That was good.
And then a sports related oneas well.
How long did the baseballplayers spend in the library?
Five minutes, it was a shortstop.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
It was a short stop.
There you go.
Johnson, I'm shocked you didn'tknow that you love baseball
ones.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
I know it's crazy.
I do like a good baseball joke,though that was good.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
That was a good one, david, that was good, excellent.
All right, hawk, you're up.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
All right.
So I mean, because David was onand he's in New York, I decided
I wanted to do something alittle more festive in location.
So where do cows go camping?
Where In upstate New York?
Okay?
Speaker 3 (34:13):
and then it's.
Speaker 5 (34:18):
It's just after New Year's, so gotta get that New
Year's joke in.
So what's corn's favoriteholiday?
What New Year's Eve?
Speaker 3 (34:34):
I hate that.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I'm laughing that was a deep sigh that hurt.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
Look, when it comes to corny, I got it that joke was
better than your other one no,that's always great, alright,
anyways, right, anyways, allright, all right, my turn.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
I'll wrap up.
I don't know why I'm a stickwith a cow joke.
Also, it's like you read mymind.
But why do cow milking stoolshave three legs?
Because the cow has the udder.
And I'm also, because we arejust past Christmas, I'm also
going to have another Christmasone.
What nationality is Santa Claus?
(35:16):
Oh, no, north Polish, all right.
Well, that wraps up thisepisode of dad jokes.
David, thank you very much forjoining us on this episode of
the Akamai Home Point podcast.
Really enjoyed our conversation.
It was a pleasure speaking withyou.
It was really enjoyed ourconversation.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Likewise.
Likewise, I appreciate you allhaving me and appreciate what
you guys do for credit unions,for the industry.
It's been awesome getting toknow you and you know I'm
certainly looking forward tomore collaborative efforts down
the line.
Awesome, thank you very much.
And Justin know you and youknow I'm certainly looking
forward to more collaborativeefforts down the line.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
Awesome.
Thank you very much.
And Justin, thank you, ofcourse.
It was my pleasure.
And, to close out, thank youagain to Zactus for sponsoring
today's episode and to all ofyou.
We know your time is valuable.
Thank you for tuning into thelatest episode of Acuma's On
Point Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Until next time.
Be well, my friends.
Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Until next time.
Be well, my friends.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Thanks for listening.
We'll see you next time at theAcuma On Point Podcast.
If not already, be sure tosubscribe and give us a
five-star rating For more greatepisodes and information.
Be sure to visit us online atacumaorg and to get the latest
updates head over to ourLinkedIn page.
You.
The views and opinions expressed in this
podcast do not necessarilyreflect the views or positions
of Acuma, its board of directors, its management staff or its
members.
The podcast discussionpresented is conversational in
nature and for generalinformation only.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Hello and welcome to Acumen's All-Point Podcast, a
series focused on sharing thestories of people who are making
a positive impact in the creditunion mortgage industry.
I'm your host.
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Peter Benjamin.
Before we get to our episode,just a quick word from our
sponsor.
This episode is sponsored byZactus.
Zactus is an exclusive Acumaservice provider for credit
reporting, verification servicesand flood determinations.
They are advancing the modernmortgage as the leading
verification innovator in theindustry, serving over 6,500
(01:02):
clients, including hundreds ofcredit union mortgage lenders.
Zactus delivers a spectrum ofsolutions ranging from
pre-application to post-close.
These solutions can beseamlessly bundled to improve
cost controls, enhanceefficiencies and consolidate
vendor management.
Committed to excellence, zactussupports Acuma members with its
(01:23):
best-in-class service,including a dedicated account
manager.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Today I am joined by David Ocasio-Ross, avp of
Mortgage Sales with AmeriQCredit Union.
David, how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (01:37):
today I'm doing well, Peter.
Happy holidays.
How are you?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I am fantastic and really it's.
It's happy new year, but youknow, david, looking forward to
our conversation, I'm a fan ofyours, one of those I don't say
a fan from afar, but I'mcertainly a fan of yours.
I love what you're doing and,of course you know Alyssa is a
(02:01):
board member, so I've had theopportunity to get to get to
know you over the years, reallyexcited for this conversation.
But before we get to it, asalways, I take a pause.
Got to bring the Hawk into theconversation.
Hawk, what's the latest andgreatest happening over at Acuma
?
And, by the way, how are youdoing?
(02:23):
I'm good, peter.
How are you?
Speaker 5 (02:24):
Living the dream man, Just living the dream.
Well, first and foremost, happynew year to all of our
listeners.
I stumbled on that word.
I'm still recovering, as youcan tell.
Wait, sobering up or you knowdefinitely not sobering up,
still just enjoying the enjoyingthe flow here.
(02:45):
New Year was amazing, so I'mexcited that here we are in 2025
.
But things going on over hereat Acuma, registration has
officially opened for ourViewpoint Regional Summit, which
will be held in Pensacola,florida, on April 8th and 9th
this year.
So I'm extremely excited.
We've kind of worked hard onthat agenda.
(03:08):
It's still coming together, Iknow, but great content and
great experiences are going tobe had, because this year we're
doing it a little different.
Sure, not only are we going tohave that exceptional
educational content, but we'vealso included an amazing
experience.
So we get to go see the BlueWahoo Minor League Baseball team
.
Wahoo, wahoo.
(03:29):
I wonder if that's their chant.
I'm serious.
We're going to make it.
So I think if we get everybodywho attends to just stand there
at the thing and just go wow asloud as possible, if it's not a
thing, it will be a thing.
But it's not a thing, it willbe a thing but it, but it's not.
I'll be so disappointed if it'sthat's the experience you're
(03:51):
looking forward to is just toknow that that's their chant.
But I mean, I mean we have aparty deck.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yep, I mean you can't .
I mean I know wahoo's a fish,but still I mean you can't have.
You can't say it without sayingit like that, right, I mean you
.
Yeah, in my experience at can'tsay it without saying it like
that right.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I mean, yeah, in my experience at any of these
sporting events, all it takes isone small part of the audience
to really start it.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
No, no, no, no, no.
You need one drunken person.
Well, I mean, I've never seenanybody like that at an Acuma
event, so we're good.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
I've never seen anybody like that at an Acuma
event, so we're good.
But beyond that, we have ourFocal Point workshops.
Registration will be openingsoon for those as well.
Those are going to be in Mayand June, so be on the lookout
for those event updates comingout soon.
And then we have our Fast Trackand Inside Track webinar series
.
Those are happening year-round.
So even if you can't make it toan in-person event which the
(04:45):
question I will always ask iswhy not?
We're awesome.
Be sure to come out, but if not, we have educational content
for you to take in all year long.
And then, lastly, our YoungProfessional Network is having
their Q1 meeting in February.
More information is coming onthat soon, so be sure to keep an
eye out in your inboxes for youto attend that awesome meeting
(05:09):
with the YPN crew Awesome, thankyou very much.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
Appreciate it.
All.
Right, david, on to you Nowagain.
As I mentioned, I am a fan.
I kind of watch your career.
I've been watching it whileyou're at Sunmark.
Um, you know, I've beenconnected with, with Alyssa, you
know, for quite some time.
Um, you know, and obviously youknow, here you are at AmeriQ
(05:34):
and I've I've gotten anopportunity to get to know you,
um, but you know, one of thethings that that that blows me
away is it's just who you are,as you know, as a person, and I
want to get to that a bit more.
Um, but but before we do, I andagain, this is this how I
always preface this question youknow, I always ask the same two
(05:55):
questions at the beginning andthe end.
Um, you know, the akba on pointpodcast is a people piece.
The same question is is alwaysasked.
The first question is alwayswhat makes David David?
Who is David?
So that's the first questionthat I always ask, and I'll ask
the next question at the end.
But so what makes David David?
(06:16):
We'll start with that.
Let's get to know who you arefirst, and you can take that
however you want.
You can take it personal, youcan keep it personal, you can
keep it professional.
It's really up to you how youanswer that question.
So first question what makesDavid David?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Well, peter, it's a great question.
I think what makes me me,whether it's personally or
professionally, I think part ofwhat makes me unique in both
fields is that I like to look atmyself as the same exact person
in both settings.
I think that's really part ofbeing your true, authentic self.
You know, whether you're anavid sports fan, a devoted
(06:52):
father, a dedicated professionalin the mortgage field or
whatever field that you'reworking in, being able to
combine and, you know, trulyrelay that aura of all three
with your clients, with yourmembers, with your business
partners, that's all part ofwhat makes someone their true,
authentic self.
(07:13):
For me personally, I definitelylook at myself as a father.
First, I have an 11-year-olddaughter very involved in her
life.
I also coach both her schooland her AAU competitive
basketball teams.
And, you know, outside of that,you know there's just the 13
years of experience working inthe financial institutions
(07:35):
almost three years in themortgage space as part of that,
and I've been very fortunateenough to come across some great
mentors throughout this 13years that have, you know, got
me here today.
So I like to just reciprocatethat, whether it's on LinkedIn,
any type of social media,facebook, so that way you get an
idea of who you're dealing withand who you're working with and
you know.
(07:56):
You get to say see that youknow we're people too.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
No, and I'm glad you said that you keep using the
word.
You know authentic and you knowyour authentic self and I think
that's why I wanted to have youon this podcast.
You know, the more I get toknow you and the more I kind of
watch you on LinkedIn, I thinkthat's why you're right.
It's you are authentic.
(08:20):
You know your.
Your posts on LinkedIn'regenuine when you read them, you
know it's about who you are andyour dedication to your one,
your craft, but two, you knowyour family and it's just about
being who you are and you're notgoing to portray who.
You are right, and I think thatis something special, right?
(08:44):
You know we all go out thereand we talk about hey, you know,
as leaders, it's about thework-life balance, right, but
I'm guilty of it.
It's I don't know necessarily,you know.
You know, walk the walk.
I tell Justin all the timefamily first, right, but then I
bury myself in work, right,right, not, I'm not walking the
walk, right, but I, I, I lovethat.
(09:08):
I think it was probably about amonth ago.
I want to say, right afterthanksgiving you, you had a
great post right after you cameback from, like your
thanksgiving vacation with youknow about your time spent with
you know, I think like a weekand a half off, like with your,
with your family and yourdaughter, and it was great,
(09:29):
right, if my kids were oldenough, I would post family pics
on LinkedIn, because they arethe thing that motivates me.
So you know they are.
You know I love that.
You know your authentic self issomething that that focuses on.
Your is one self, is somethingthat you focus on.
Your is one of the things thatyou keep referencing.
Now, coming back to why youknow this is going to be like
(09:52):
the main center or the mainfocus on our conversation is
because for you, in our preppedto this conversation, that that,
that, that that focus on beinggenuine, that focus on being
your authentic self, that's notsomething you kind of just live
and breathe.
That's something that you kindof say to your team hey, I want
(10:15):
you to be this way too.
I don't want you to betray whoyou are.
Go out there and be Steve, beLisa, be Laura, be Johnny, and
that's who you are, and don'ttry being someone else.
Is.
Am I?
Am I putting words in yourmouth, or or?
Speaker 2 (10:31):
not at all.
Not at all.
No, you're.
You hit it right on the nail.
You know, when I look at thethe success that you know this
organization and my team haddepartment had as a whole, and
24, you know that was a big partof that and there was most
certainly some growing pains.
You know, because it does.
When you look at it inhindsight, it definitely puts
you in a weird spot to be ableto talk about yourself
(10:55):
comfortably.
You know, whether you have 30years of experience in the field
or 30 minutes of experience inthe field, you know one thing
that does not change is whetherit's a client, whether it's a
business partner, whether it'sboth, you know they're still
going to want to know whothey're doing business with or
who they're having theconversation with.
So, being able to reflect thatin a way that is as true and
(11:15):
authentic to you as possible,while still representing your
organization the best way youcan.
So, yeah, there's been just aton of great conversations with
my team and being able torecognize that um and really use
that as a cornerstone of beingable to build their sphere of
influence and expand on that Um,you know, and they've done such
(11:36):
a great job with it too.
So I'm super proud of them.
Shout out to the all my LOs andand uh, you know, those that are
working the field, that atiCube, but it's huge.
It's huge because that's reallywhat has elevated this team,
the sales team, to one of thelevels our ability to advertise
ourselves as exactly who we are.
(11:58):
Do we have kids?
Are we married?
Who are we?
Behind the title, theprofessional title, and then
that has led to furtherconversation about you know SU,
sports, family gatherings.
You know an invite to thehousewarming, you know it, just
(12:18):
it.
It really helps us buildheartfelt, meaningful
relationships.
And then you take it a stepfurther and, from a referral
standpoint, you know our names,ring bells, just because we've
taken that true, authenticapproach.
So again, shout out to the teambecause they've done such a
great job at adapting that.
But it really takes being ableto make yourself uncomfortable
(12:39):
to get comfortable doing that.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
And correct me if I'm wrong.
Like you guys aren't in, likeyou're not in like a cityscape,
you're pretty spread out inupstate New York, right?
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yeah, 24 counties.
Yeah, yeah, a lot of ruralareas.
I mean there's some areas thatobviously you know we've got
like Syracuse and Utica, romearea and you know, stretching
out toward Binghamton, so youknow, in some areas absolutely,
but yeah, there's, there'sdefinitely others that have
really put us in quite theposition where we've had to
(13:15):
focus on building thoserelationships.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
So the reason I ask that question?
I'm sorry to interrupt you, butin those cases where you are so
spread out, right, yourreputation becomes very
important, right, it's.
It's one thing when you're in acityscape and you have, you
know, numbers are in your favor,right, and you have, like this
dense population where, if youknow one realtor as an example
(13:42):
doesn't work with you, well,there's other fish in the sea.
Right, when you're in a ruralarea and there's maybe only 10
realtors in a very rural county,well, there's really not other
fish in the sea.
You have to have a soundreputation.
(14:03):
They have to know who you are.
Well, you know is.
Is David a family man?
Well, does.
Does David coach his, his, youknow his daughter's basketball
team?
You know it's.
Are they winning championships?
Is he a good coach?
You know it's like you knowthey're.
They're going to ask thosequestions.
That becomes very important inthose settings, much different
(14:25):
than you know.
Again, I'm in the DC area.
Yeah, it's different here,right, oh, yeah, it changes the
game, changes the game.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
You know me personally.
I've gotten a few referralsfrom parents whose child I
coached.
And when you look at how thatin hindsight, how that
relationship developed, you knowit started on the basketball
court.
It started with instructiontoward you know their child.
It started with, you know,one-on-one conversations with
them about, you know what theyneed to work on and and you know
(14:55):
what they're doing great at and, um, you know, highlighting
points of recognition.
And then that right there led tohey, what do you do?
What do do?
Again, I heard you work for abank that's close by.
Then you know you got toquickly correct them.
Ah, it's better union, betterunion, but we, uh, I'm sorry,
we're the good guys, um, butthen we, we start, you know, we
(15:17):
start talking about life, like,we start talking about goals.
We start talking about, uh, youknow just just what their scope
looks like and like and whatthey want as a family and you
know why they feel like theyhaven't been able to achieve it
thus far.
And that, I think, is where youstart to see, you know, the
doors really open up for youbecause now they're matching
that vulnerability.
(15:38):
Sure, you're doing somethingyou love.
It's just something that you doon a regular basis, coaching,
working with children, you know,providing instruction to this
young age group 10, 11, 12, 13year olds but then, all of a
sudden, now you've got theirparents and you know their aunts
, their uncles, really askingquestions hey, I heard you do
this, I heard you do that andthey get vulnerable with you and
(16:00):
how you receive that, I think,really is just key to where that
relationship goes.
And it's led to some great,great relationships with with
some business owners, with justindividuals that have continued
to pour their trust into myselfor any members of my team.
You know it really changes thegame and it allows them to also
(16:22):
see that I said like, oh, thisis what he's, this is what he's
great at, this is what he does.
Well, this is this is wherehe's been able to be vulnerable
with us about why it took him solong to buy a house and what
his reservations were.
So, yeah, very thankful for thatpiece, but it really does, in
this market, go such a long way,especially when they they know
what you do for a living, theyknow what puts food on the table
(16:46):
, they know what your career is,they know where you work and
they know the brand.
That's another thing.
It's not just the personalreputation, it's the reputation
of the organization you work for.
That really rings bells acrossour footprint, so that certainly
helps the cause.
Well, I've heard good thingsabout AmeriQ, but I don't know
much about a mortgage and theygo from there.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
So I think that's so important, right?
Because oftentimes, you know,especially newer loan officers
or I'm going to take a step backyeah, loan officers within
credit unions they think, ok,well, it was just one smooth
transaction, right, I can expectthe next transaction from this
(17:26):
realtor, right?
Well, no, not necessarily.
Right.
It is about building those.
One, it's about building thattrust.
Two, it's about building thatrelationship, right, and it's
not necessarily about coffee.
How many realtors want to keepgoing out to coffee?
They probably can't stand it,right.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
I know.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
Right.
But what they probably reallywant is someone who they can
have a sit down with or relateto, they can trust.
It's someone who they can trustour kids with, right, that's
probably who they want to workwith.
And I mean, granted, itprobably plays your favor that
you, that you are in this, thisrural area, where you know it is
(18:05):
a even though, yes, it isspread out it is more of a
close-knit community, right,where I don't see you're forced
to do it, but you are forced tobe that loan officer, right,
right, that does help.
Now, it forces you to work alot harder.
Oh, absolutely, absolutely, I'dagree.
It makes you a better loanofficer.
It makes you a a better loanofficer.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Make sure a lot better loan officer to your
point too, when you startthinking about, um, just word of
mouth in the dc area, or evenjust what I'm used to, because
before I relocated up this way,um, you know where were you
before you started here I'll sayI was in the albany area which
is, which is, for all intentsand purposes, a good sized city.
(18:47):
Right, absolutely, absolutely.
So you know relocating off thisway.
You see, when you're doingbusiness in towns where you know
their high school graduatingclass is like one hundred and
fifty or less.
I had I had me personally atAlbany High let me say I had
(19:08):
upwards of over a thousand, youknow, in 2008.
So when you think about whatthat looks like and then how you
know a lot of these individualsthere, you know this is where
they're from, this is wherethey're born, they're proud to
represent their communities, butthey know everyone.
So if you do have that one badtransaction with someone who has
(19:29):
really built their book ofbusiness as being the trusted
real estate agent or a trustedappraiser or a trusted inspector
in these markets, that one badtransaction, they start talking
about it.
It goes everywhere.
It doesn't necessarily have tobe on Facebook or whatever, it's
just that word of mouth.
And then you know, you see howwidespread that impact is and
(19:50):
how people start to shy awayfrom you because of it.
So it really does intensify theneed to be able to, you know,
bring your A game.
But also, too, if this is whatyou do on a regular basis, you
know it shouldn't really requireany type of prep.
It does get takes and gettingused to.
But when you sit here and youcarry through your day to day as
(20:11):
your true self, you know theystart to see this happy guy
that's, that's playing Christmasmusic into January they start
to see this this happy guythat's still playing Justin
Bieber's Christmas album, or,you know, still dancing around
the office, or you know it, justit, it.
It goes so far in these tightknit communities and these
(20:31):
smaller communities.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
No, Justin, I saw you lean in.
Speaker 5 (20:34):
Yeah, I mean I, I, I love everything you're saying.
We talk about um.
Last year, we talked about likebeing your authentic self on
social, and I love that you're.
You're not even talking aboutsocial, you're just talking
about being you and love thatyou're.
You're not even talking aboutsocial, you're just talking
about being you.
And and that's awesome, becausein the communities that you're
talking about like, you can'tafford to be anything other than
like you can't fake it Likeyou're.
(20:55):
Either you either got that fora lack of better words, swagger
right.
You've either got the swaggerto like hold that conversation
and to be like a genuinely niceperson who is out there
interested in getting to knowothers, or you don't.
So like, I think it's amazingthat you're out there doing that
and the word of mouth, um,which is one of my all time
(21:16):
favorite marketing terms, by theway.
So I appreciate you bringingmarketing into the conversation.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Oh, absolutely, without a doubt.
Speaker 5 (21:22):
Send the payment later.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Oh absolutely Without a doubt.
Speaker 5 (21:24):
Send the payment later.
No, the word of mouth, like youcan't, you can't put a dollar
on that you can't put, you can'tquantify how much that actually
means and the value it reallyholds.
So I think it's, I think it'sgood that you're, you recognize
that and you you're, you see thepotential of the impact that
that that has and how it canhelp grow your, your community.
(21:46):
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Yeah, no, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
You know to that point, you know it really just
brings to light you know what,what truly it does take to to
make a great impression.
And a lot of these people, youknow they can't, they can, they
can read between the lines, youknow they could see.
You know, behind, behind asmoke, the smoke that you're
(22:09):
putting up, that, that if you'retrying to put up a facade or
you know, they can see the dish.
Yeah, for sure, for sure, Wellput, well, that's not.
Yeah, they can sense that too,you know, and that also just
leaves a bad taste in people'smouths and it's definitely
something that you look to avoid.
(22:30):
But you know, that's why I told, when I talk to my team and
just in general, whether it's myteam, my daughter, the girls I
coach.
You know, when we travel tothese different tournaments in
different areas, you are who youare and your game is what I'm
looking to translate on thecourt.
You know, it doesn't matternecessarily what you see with
your eyes, it doesn't matterwhat's what lies ahead of you.
(22:51):
What I'm focused on is you,ladies, playing your game and
bringing the talent that I knoweach and every one of you have
to make this whole completepackage of a team to make a
great impact, game after game.
The same thing with my team, mysales team.
It's, whether it's 30 years ofexperience or 30 minutes, who
are you?
What's in it for them?
You know what do you do.
You know how can you, as anindividual, resonate with them
(23:15):
to the point to where they'restill thinking about you after
the presentation is done and ifthere's a follow up there,
that's absolutely necessary andyou need to sit here and maybe
go another round to just makesure that that.
You know you've made theimpression that you're looking
for um.
You know, go at it, there'sreally nothing to like.
I said it's uncomfortable inthe beginning but you know, once
you dive into it, that's.
(23:35):
That's exactly where.
Where I was when I came intothe mortgage industry, it's.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
I came in on star Wars day 2022.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, I made a fourth .
Be with you.
I knew that was coming.
Yeah, I joined, uh, yeah, Ijoined on May 4th, 22.
And I came from um.
At the time, I was, uh, in abusiness development manager
role, um, and in trying to findmyself within mortgage, I
noticed that it's just frompersonal experience.
I made it so much harder onmyself by trying to develop
something that I that I felt,you know, wanted to be seen or
(24:12):
wanted to be experienced out inour, our, our communities.
It was just so much easier OnceI said, you know, like this,
this, this is who I am, this iswhat I bring to the table, this
is, this is how I can bestrepresent my team and this is
how me and my team can, you know, best represent our
organizations as each other, asthe individuals that were hired,
and to represent our creditunion in these communities.
(24:34):
And then it really took offfrom there.
So definitely some growingpains, for sure, but you know
what's an experience without it.
You know it really sits withyou.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Right.
So, just out of curiosity, howmany loan officers do you have
underneath you?
Sits with you, right?
So just out of curiosity, howmany loan officers do you have
underneath you?
Well, you said 12?
Yes, sir.
Okay, and right now they're allseeing that, they've all bought
into this idea of just goingout being your authentic self,
and they're all seeing thesuccess with their local
realtors.
And 2024 has been a solid yearfor you, right?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, 24 was an amazing year.
You know.
The organization as a wholeachieved their funded loan goal
for the year I exceeded itactually, which was great, you
know ended up with a solidpipeline to carry over to 25,
you know, and I had over half ofmy team not just meet but also
exceed their portion of theannual goal, so their individual
(25:26):
funded loan goals, which wasawesome because it really showed
how much dedication they put toexceeding the mark, not just
hitting it Like what are youreaching for?
Are you reaching for just thatcost?
Right there, Are you trying togo over?
So, yeah, 24, a lot of lessonslearned, but it really took us
and elevated us to a new level.
So that's why it's still allgas, no brakes going into 25.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
Right, but I mean it's a testament to the idea of
go out there, build arelationship.
You want one, be you right,yeah, but build the
relationships right.
Take that time, spend a littlebit more time and get to know
these realtors right.
Don't just assume that they'regoing to send you business, but
really get to know them Right,absolutely, and it will.
(26:12):
It will.
That time will be returned toyou tenfold in loan production,
right.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
And if you think about it too, I mean, we've got
layers as people, we've gotlayers as individuals, you know,
and sometimes it takes a littlebit of time to peel back these
layers, to see what makes ustick, you know, and and really
what resonates with us as people.
Um, you know, I may havesomebody that, uh, just because
you know they're a dallas mapsfan and I they they right there,
(26:41):
they tug at the heart strings,or they like kairi ervin, or, um
, they're a, or they like KyrieIrving, or they're a New England
Patriots fan.
I know they're horrible rightnow.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
They've been horrible for a little while now, but
we're going to talk about that.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
You know you may find that you know through their
love of something else thatresonates with you and maybe
that helps, you know, penetratesome of these layers a little
bit sooner.
But sometimes it takes that.
It takes these people gettingto see what your interests are
and you know what you enjoy andyou know what makes you tick for
them to be like I like this guyor I like this girl.
(27:17):
So it really is so important.
And being able to prioritize,because when you think about it,
you know there's a differentlender on every corner, you know
there's a different agent onevery corner, you know there's
so many more opportunities outthere now, um, to make that
impact and to leave a lastingimpression.
So how are you doing so?
You know, how are youdifferentiating yourself from
everyone else?
That's the.
That's awesome all right.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
So I, I have to know guy from albany, not in new york
, not, not a giants fan, not ajets fan, not a Jets fan, not
even a Bills fan, patriots fan.
What's the story?
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Okay, well, so I was adopted, you know, and my
adopted family, they're all fromNew England.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
And you know when we go back and we think about you
know what that looked likefinalizing this adoption.
My parents were like, listen,you pick one team.
You can pick a NewEngland-based team.
It can be the Red Sox, it canbe the Patriots, it can be the
Celtics, but we root for NewEngland-based teams in this
household.
I was like all right, if I takeone, I'll take New England, and
(28:19):
I like to blame that choice forall the success that they had
in that solid decade, not TomBrady, not Belichick, it was
right there, it was right there.
That was the change for NewEngland.
But yeah, you know, I'm veryfortunate with the family that I
(28:41):
was adopted into and, yeah,diehard New England fans for all
sports.
And that's how that love of NewEngland Patriots football came
about.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
Okay, I appreciate you sharing that story.
Speaker 5 (28:51):
So, hindsight, you should be also really excited
that you chose the Patriots,because at least you got a lot
more highs out of it than lows.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Yeah, it's been low for a little bit for me right
now.
Just for a little bit, but likethe memories I'm grasping onto,
yeah, there you go.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
You had a good, strong, I want to say a decade
we had a run we had a run it wasphenomenal.
We certainly did have a runmost hated for for quite some
time, and I don't I don't know,I, I would, I would, I would say
, comparatively speaking, Iprobably hated the patriot less
than I hate the Chiefs.
(29:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Well, funny story about the Chiefs as well.
So I have a cousin that youknow worked in marketing media
marketing for, you know, spanishartists, latino artists when I
was a kid.
She used to date Pat Mahomes Srwhen he was a pitcher on the
Mets.
Yes, and I.
That was my my exposure tobaseball way back when, because
(29:52):
I had the opportunity to sitbehind the dugout at Shea before
they switched to Citi Field.
But now that you know thatrelationship has has since
subsided.
You know it's it's a bit of ajoke between my brothers and
some family members who are like.
You know, if you kept thatrelationship that could have
been your kids, we wouldn't haveto work, you would have been
set and it didn't pan out thatway.
(30:14):
But that's all good All good,that's all good.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
That's all good.
I mean, the funny thing is likethe NFL didn't want the
Patriots to win, but they stillwon.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
The NFL wants the Chiefs to win, right, yeah, oh,
absolutely, that's the bigdifference.
Anyways, we can go into NFLpolitics another day.
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
Pretty sure we're going to have a mini series on
sports.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
That's right.
That's right.
And whether or not the NFL isrigged, there you go, or
scripted, or scripted, all right.
Well, david, we have to starttransitioning for the sake of
time.
I really enjoyed thisconversation.
I know we can keep going on,but you know the final question.
It's the same question I alwaysask, like, like I said, and at
the very beginning, I always askthe same two questions One
(31:00):
beginning, one at the end.
The final question is whatkeeps you going?
What gets you out of bed?
You're, you're, you're.
You take one foot out of bedlike everyone else, but what
keeps you going?
What motivates you?
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Oh, I mean, that's that's an easy one.
You know me personally when,when anyone who has a child I'm
sure they can attest to it too.
You know, when you've got a setof eyes that that look at you
every move and they analyze whatyou do and and your growth and
your development.
I think that's a driving forcein itself.
Analyze what you do and andyour growth and your development
(31:33):
I think that's a driving forcein itself.
You know, when you also lookback me personally outside of
just having a daughter you knowI like to look back in hindsight
as to you know where I startedand you know what that looked
like in terms of adoption and,and you know, coming into a
whole new family, and you knowwhat I went through before that
and then using that as more of afocus point to channel change
(31:55):
and upward momentum and movement.
I think it's a solidcombination that hasn't failed
me yet to continue pushingforward and sharing a positive
message amongst others, whetherit's my team or people that I
meet on the street, or whateverthe case may be.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Okay, I absolutely love that.
I absolutely love that.
I absolutely love that.
All right, david, it's time forus to transition to the second
segment of our podcast.
Now, this is where we sometimesdo Jeopardy, sometimes we do
fun facts, but today we're goingto do the most requested
segment of dad jokes.
Now, you're asked to come withwith a few dad jokes prepared.
Now, hopefully, you have acouple of dad jokes Now.
(32:30):
You're asked to come with witha few dad jokes prepared.
Now, hopefully, you have acouple of dad jokes prepared.
Now, for the sake of time,we're going to do two dad jokes
each, and the way it's going towork is that we're just go
around the horn.
We'll each do our two dad jokes.
So you'll do two dad jokes,justin will do two dad jokes and
I will wrap up the episode withtwo dad jokes, and I will wrap
up the episode with two dadjokes and then we'll just close
(32:51):
out.
Sound good, sound good, allright.
So, david, let's start withyour two dad jokes, if you will,
please.
I gotcha.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Well being at the holidays has just passed.
You know I'm a big fan of theChristmas season, so one of my
personal favorites is how muchmuch did santa pay for his
sleigh?
And everyone has an answer.
I can proceed.
Nothing.
It was a house, that's it.
(33:21):
That's it.
That was good.
Zero percent financing rightthere, that that's amazing.
That was good.
And then a sports related oneas well.
How long did the baseballplayers spend in the library?
Five minutes, it was a shortstop.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
It was a short stop.
There you go.
Johnson, I'm shocked you didn'tknow that you love baseball
ones.
Speaker 5 (33:48):
I know it's crazy.
I do like a good baseball joke,though that was good.
Speaker 3 (33:54):
That was a good one, david, that was good, excellent.
All right, hawk, you're up.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
All right.
So I mean, because David was onand he's in New York, I decided
I wanted to do something alittle more festive in location.
So where do cows go camping?
Where In upstate New York?
Okay?
Speaker 3 (34:13):
and then it's.
Speaker 5 (34:18):
It's just after New Year's, so gotta get that New
Year's joke in.
So what's corn's favoriteholiday?
What New Year's Eve?
Speaker 3 (34:34):
I hate that.
Speaker 2 (34:35):
I'm laughing that was a deep sigh that hurt.
Speaker 5 (34:41):
Look, when it comes to corny, I got it that joke was
better than your other one no,that's always great, alright,
anyways, right, anyways, allright, all right, my turn.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
I'll wrap up.
I don't know why I'm a stickwith a cow joke.
Also, it's like you read mymind.
But why do cow milking stoolshave three legs?
Because the cow has the udder.
And I'm also, because we arejust past Christmas, I'm also
going to have another Christmasone.
What nationality is Santa Claus?
(35:16):
Oh, no, north Polish, all right.
Well, that wraps up thisepisode of dad jokes.
David, thank you very much forjoining us on this episode of
the Akamai Home Point podcast.
Really enjoyed our conversation.
It was a pleasure speaking withyou.
It was really enjoyed ourconversation.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Likewise.
Likewise, I appreciate you allhaving me and appreciate what
you guys do for credit unions,for the industry.
It's been awesome getting toknow you and you know I'm
certainly looking forward tomore collaborative efforts down
the line.
Awesome, thank you very much.
And Justin know you and youknow I'm certainly looking
forward to more collaborativeefforts down the line.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
Awesome.
Thank you very much.
And Justin, thank you, ofcourse.
It was my pleasure.
And, to close out, thank youagain to Zactus for sponsoring
today's episode and to all ofyou.
We know your time is valuable.
Thank you for tuning into thelatest episode of Acuma's On
Point Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Until next time.
Be well, my friends.
Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Until next time.
Be well, my friends.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Thanks for listening.
We'll see you next time at theAcuma On Point Podcast.
If not already, be sure tosubscribe and give us a
five-star rating For more greatepisodes and information.
Be sure to visit us online atacumaorg and to get the latest
updates head over to ourLinkedIn page.
You.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com