After six months of intensive work with the National Association of Minority Mortgage Bankers of America’s (NAMMBA) Accredited Social Impact Lender program, 1st Priority Mortgage has completed the course and has a more comprehensive outlook of their impact as a community lender in the upstate New York marketplace.

Standing for “Accredited Social Impact Lender,” ASIL Certification is a rigorous process of investigation, research, consultation, and goal setting. Exclusively available through NAMMBA, this 12-month program (which can be accomplished faster with increased dedication) is designed to help lenders who want to get ahead of the curve and leverage their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to make a dramatic impact on their communities.

Taking on a program like ASIL is no small feat. 1st Priority Mortgage invited the NAMMBA Family of Companies into their business to help them better understand their past, how to make lasting changes in the present, and what it takes to create a more robust and diverse lending strategy for the future.

When presented with the opportunity to “do good, by doing good” by Tony Thompson, NAMMBA Founder and CEO, 1st Priority President, Brooke Anderson- Tompkins leaned in.

“We sought a solution that would not only help us to understand the markets in a deeper way, but also to take that knowledge and create actionable plans to help mitigate the systemic challenges that minorities and women face in the mortgage industry,” said Anderson-Tompkins. “By joining NAMMBA as a Partner and separately engaging the NAMMBA Family of Companies in a consulting capacity, it gave us the opportunity to do both at a faster pace. Our employees have consistently shown they care, and they are excited to be a part of making a difference “by doing good” in additional ways.”

One of the first companies to complete their ASIL certification, NAMMBA is proud to help companies like 1st Priority Mortgage set themselves apart from their competition.

Only 5% of all lenders nationwide will be eligible for certification. And not every company is willing to make a commitment to the program.

Despite market trends that are showing enormous growth in historically underserved majority-minority communities, most lenders achieve little (or they are not taking all the correct steps) to develop relationships with, provide programs for, or promote employment within those same communities that they serve.

“It was important to us to not only “check a box”, but to really pull back the curtain and be involved with what can ultimately create real change, real opportunity on a number of levels and to open the door to generational wealth creation via homeownership – it’s a long game. It starts now,” said Anderson-Tompkins.

“It’s companies like 1st Priority Mortgage that are going to be setting the bar for what Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion can do to help not only move the needle on a more robust and healthy lending economy,” says NAMMBA Founder and CEO Tony Thompson. “This is just the beginning of 1st Priority Mortgage’s journey to becoming an outstanding community lender in their area.”

If you would like to learn more about how you can leverage Diversity Equity and Inclusion to improve your mortgage lending company’s brand recognition, customer loyalty, talent pool, and profitability, visit us at www.nammba.org/asil or contact Tony Thompson at tony.thompson@nammba.org.

Jade Winfrey
NAMMBA
8773630340 ext.
email us here