Guild Mortgage Selects its Columbia, South Carolina Branch as 2016 Branch of the Year

Company Executive Team Analyzed Many Factors in Selecting from Among 250 Branches and Satellite Offices Nationwide SAN DIEGO – Guild Mortgage Co., one of the fastest-growing independent mortgage lenders in the country, has selected its branch in Columbia, S.C. as the 2016 National Branch of the Year. Regional vice president and branch manager, Matt MacGillivray, led participation in a wide range of community activities and service levels that helped Guild’s growth into the Southeast. Company executives reviewed 250 Guild branches and satellites using both quantitative and qualitative factors. The factors included customer satisfaction, volume, profitability, loan quality, audit scores and the branch’s general spirit of teamwork, community involvement and ability to build and maintain strong relationships. Mary Ann McGarry, president and CEO, praised the Columbia team for setting a high standard for customer service and growth throughout the area. Mortgage industry veteran MacGillivray (NLMS ID #474324) has been with Guild for close to five years and leads the branch. He joined Guild in 2012 and has built a strong team of talent at his branch and seven satellite offices throughout the Carolinas. “Today, the Columbia umbrella has eight branches and more than 120 employees. We are unique in that our sales and operations teams work together as one and everyone appreciates each other and the job that they do,” according to MacGillivray. “We aren’t just co-workers, we are friends; and you can always rely on friends.” “The start was a rough one. Although the fall of 2012 was not an ideal time to open a mortgage company new to the market, as a team, we all stuck together and have made these branches what they are today. Which is so much more than what we could have imagined,” said MacGillivray. ” In 2016, the reputation that we have built from the start finally paid off. We are now known in our market as the most reliable lender and a company that closes loans on time, every time. When a realtor discovers that we are processing a borrower’s loan, they know it’s at the right place. ” “When the ‘thousand-year flood’ hit Columbia, we banded together and raised over $22,700 to help our neighbors who lost everything,” said MacGillivray.  Over the last several years, Columbia has been involved with many charities. Most recently, the branch has been very involved with Camp Kemo, a week-long summer camp for patients with cancer ages five through 18, and their siblings. Last year, they raised over $14,500 that provided many children the opportunity to experience what the camp has to offer.  MacGillivray and team plan to do a lot more for local charities. Columbia’s main office is located at 101 Westpark Blvd., Suites B + C, Columbia, S.C. 29210 (NMLS ID # 949333), with more satellite offices in Columbia, Elgin, Lexington, Myrtle Beach, Murrels Inlet, Charleston and Charlotte, N.C. Guild has a history of providing first-time homebuyers with a wide range of loan options and personalized service. The company is consistently among the top independent mortgage lenders in the U.S. in terms of purchase loans. Its loan professionals can serve the needs of any homebuyer, from helping first-time homebuyers achieve their dream of home ownership, often through government loan programs, to providing jumbo home loans. Guild also specializes in helping active duty and retired military personnel to secure VA loans, which provide 100 percent financing and flexible qualifying standards.