Kenneth Brown is the Production Manager for the mortgage origination branch of Monarch Bank.

1.       What does your job entail?

I oversee mortgage loan officers and help them originate mortgage loans and manage the loans in their pipelines.  I recruit additional individuals in an effort to convince them to join Monarch Bank as mortgage loan officers and I assist clients in obtaining mortgages for the purchase or refinance of real estate (in essence acting as a loan officer).

2.       What made you choose your job?

My job is a result of the evolution of a career which spans 25 years.  Originally, when I graduated college, I took a job in an investment banking firm writing and selling real estate limited partnerships to accredited investors.  The company for which I worked decided that it would be a good idea for me to then sell real estate to the partnerships we created.  I obtained my real estate license and began selling real estate to the partnerships.  It was financially and emotionally more rewarding to sell the real estate than it was to write the partnerships, so I became a full-time real estate agent and sold real estate to everyone I could.  One of the problems I encountered during my years as a real estate agent was that I could not find a mortgage loan officer who would provide the customer service I required to my clients.  I finally found a mortgage loan officer who let me take the loan applications.  After a number of transactions with this process, it became apparent that being a mortgage loan officer was even more satisfying than being a real estate agent.  I then became a mortgage loan officer and worked for one of the top four banks for 15 years and promoted from a mortgage loan officer to a manager.  Three years ago, just before the major banks had their mortgage meltdown, I moved to Monarch to take the position of Production Manager.  I greatly enjoy managing people and working with numbers.  I also receive a great amount of satisfaction of seeing a successful real estate transaction take place.

3.       How long have you been a Production Manager?

I was an investment banker for one year, a real estate agent for just under four years, a mortgage loan officer for six years, an originating mortgage branch manager for 10 years and the Production Manager (my current position) for three years.4.       When did you realize this was the career path you were going to take?

I first realized that I was interested in pursuing a career in finance when I was 12-years-old.  My mother had The Wall Street Journal delivered to our house and I used to enjoy reading that paper from cover to cover on a daily basis.

5.       What type of education did you receive?

I went to a public high school where I was able to choose additional math and science courses for my electives.  I graduated high school with the equivalent of six years of math and science.  I went to Rutgers University where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance.  I have taken a number of classes (some required for licensing, some discretionary) over the years to keep myself up to date on current financial rules and regulations.

6.       Describe a typical day at work.

Unfortunately, most people will find my description of a typical day at work fairly boring.  It is virtually impossible to put into words the sense of accomplishment each day brings.  I usually start my morning in the office meeting with the support staff for a few minutes to bring myself up to date on what everyone is working on that day and to provide some guidance and direction to efficiently use everyone’s time.  I will then spend some time with each loan officer throughout the day working with them to resolve problems or answer questions regarding transactions they currently have in process, or discuss activities they could do to generate additional business.  In between these interactions, I will follow up with the files that I have in my own pipeline making sure that the process is running smoothly.  If there is time available (of course there is, we make time for things that are important) I will conduct my own activities to generate additional business or search for potential candidates for recruiting.  At the end of the day, I will take a few minutes to write a synopsis of the days activities and make notes as to additional items which will need to be addressed, or just commentary that I would like to keep for future reference.

7.       What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part of my job is to see the smile on the face of a client who has just signed their closing package and has a new loan for real estate that they purchased or refinanced.

8.       What is your least favorite part of the job?

My least favorite part of the job is the unfortunate amount of waiting that takes place during the processing of a loan for each aspect of the file to be resolved.  It could be waiting for the appraisal to be done, the client to provide paperwork, or a government agency to return information that has been requested.

9.       If you could go back in time, what would yo have done differently?

Ah, to travel back in time with wonderful 20/20 vision as to what could be changed to make life better.  Unfortunately, once you change one aspect of life, it affects every other aspect.  If I said that I would have rather stayed in New York and worked at the job on Wall Street that I was offered instead of moving to Maryland, I might have liked the job better, or I might not.  I certainly would have never met the woman I married, or had any number of the interesting and wonderful experiences I have had over the past 25 years.  Life is not perfect, however, it is very good, and having the right attitude is most important.  I don’t look back and wonder what could be better, I look back and appreciate the wonderful life I have.10.     Is there anything else about your career that you would like to share?

Success is an extremely easy thing to achieve.  There are some basic simple rules to follow.  First, smile – always.  It does not matter if you are tired, cranky, angry, sad or even just okay.  Your demeanor rubs off on all around you.  Smiling is the first thing people see and something to which everyone reacts.  Second, always put 100% effort into whatever you do.  Not 110%, not 90%.  Just do your best and no matter what the results, you can hold your head high that you tried your best.  It will be noticed.  Everyone makes mistakes and you don’t have to get everything right all of the time.  Third, if you make a mistake, acknowledge it and fix it.  Do not be afraid to take the blame.  It will be appreciated more than any excuse you could possibly have.  Third, always listen.  Letting the other person speak their mind fully without interruption is a powerful tool in achieving respect. When you interrupt or appear to not listen to what someone has to say, that person will be frustrated with you.  Even if you disagree or think that the other person is just wrong, let them speak fully.  They in turn are more likely to listen to what you have to say and take it seriously.