The new US funding was on its way to another record commercial year in 2021, despite the pandemic and all of its challenges.

Tustin’s 18-year-old mortgage lender has also grown, growing its workforce to more than 1,200 employees in Orange County and more than 4,000 employees in 200 offices across the United States. This year, the company won its 10th distinction as a Top Workplace winner. .

CEO Rick Arvielo, who co-founded the company with his wife, NAF President Patty Arvielo, attributed his company’s success to an agile corporate culture.

“We really think of our team like family. We care about them, support them and help them succeed, ”he said.

Employees praise New American Funding for its “genuine leadership” which allows them to feel appreciated while working in a flexible and supportive environment.

“Every day I am challenged to do better or more,” one employee wrote in the survey. “I really enjoy working here and am grateful that I found NAF when looking for a new environment. It gave me so much more than I could have imagined.

Arvielo shared with us more about his company’s workplace. His answers have been edited for length.

Q: Did the company have another banner year in 2021? If so, tell us about this momentum and how it was able to motivate the company and its staff.

Last year was, to put it simply, the best year in our company’s history. We’ve broken every business record imaginable and helped over 100,000 families buy homes or refinance their mortgages. And things haven’t slowed down at all. We are on the right track to have such a good year in 2021.

Over the past year, many of our team felt like they were ‘drinking from a fire hose’, trying to keep up with mortgage demand driven by historically low interest rates and changing opinions of people on the market. their own home due to the pandemic. During this time, we have learned to handle this volume and continue to provide leading customer service.

This year, we have taken those lessons and put in place procedures to deal with the continuously high demand. This has allowed our team to thrive and to feel more engaged in our mutual success. The result is that we are positioned to have another amazing year on par with last year. Beyond that, we are now poised to be successful in the future, regardless of new developments.

Q: In most of the stories written about NAF as a Better Place to Work, management often calls their team a family. How did the company help their family grow and learn in 2021?

A: Treating people the way they want to be treated, respecting each other, and choosing right over wrong is what all of our employees do in their personal lives. As a business, we have simply incorporated these personal principles into the business.

Q: Has the NAF further adapted its workplace while dealing with the ongoing pandemic rules?

A: Like many businesses, we moved to a largely remote environment in March 2020. We put the health and safety of our team first. What we found at that point is that our team has thrived by moving to a work from home environment. In an effort to continue to ensure their safety and after meeting with great success last year in this remote environment, we have made the decision to continue this arrangement this year.

Q: The NAF is proud to help the Hispanic community and people of color get loans for their homes. Tell us how the company has helped this community.

A: As a mortgage lender, we believe the best path to generational wealth is to own a home. That’s why our entire team works tirelessly to ensure that anyone who can buy a home can.

For too long, members of minority communities have been left behind in the face of these opportunities. That’s why we’ve put together our Latino Focus and New American Dream initiatives, which aim to boost homeownership among the Hispanic and Black communities, respectively.

Q: Pivoting towards hiring, it looks like the company is continuing on its growth path. How did the hiring go?

A: Our family has grown considerably as we hired close to 1,800 people this year alone. What we have found is that the mortgage industry is highly desirable for people who want to help members of their community achieve the American Dream.

Q: What is one of the lasting lessons learned from working with the NAF team during a pandemic that has lasted for almost two years?

We have learned that the strength and determination of our team is one of our greatest resources. Our entire team have faced enormous challenges over the past year, dealing with unprecedented demand while trying to keep themselves and their families safe.

Q: Tell us what awaits NAF for the coming year.

A: For us, the future depends on the online borrower. Younger people don’t wait for someone to call them back. They want an answer now, they want to talk to someone now, they want the process to begin now. This certainly extends to their mortgage experience, especially as more Millennials and Gen Zs approach the age when they are ready to buy a home.

We have been investing for years to ensure that we serve these borrowers the way they want and at the speed they want. There is a drastic change underway in the housing industry, moving away from the referrals of real estate agents online, which is growing exponentially. If you don’t prepare now for the future of the mortgage industry, you are about to fail.

We believe that we are already ready for the future now.

New American funding

Founded: 2003

Industry: Mortgage loans

Headquarters: Tustin

CO employees: 1,132

Website: newamericanfunding.com

“Like any business, the pandemic presented new challenges. However, I can speak personally that we don’t want to lose human touch in our communications because it means doing the job well. Rick Arvielo, CEO

New American funding

Founded: 2003

Headquarters: Tustin

Industry: Mortgage loans

OC Employees: 1,262

Website: newamericanfunding.com

“Treating people the way they want to be treated, respecting each other and choosing right over wrong is what all of our employees do in their personal lives. As a business, we simply brought these personal principles into the business. The new CEO of American financing, Rick Arvielo