Mortgage expert Jon Wallace is getting back into the saddle again as a partner in a firm where he becomes Producing Branch Manager with new offices coming to St. Joseph. Wallace is a new partner at Union Home Mortgage Company headquartered in Strongsville, Ohio, and coming to an office suite across from Nye's Apple Barn at Niles Road and I-94.
Jon has extensive mortgage experience in Southwest Michigan, most recently with Horizon Bank. He previously worked at Fifth Third Bank, D&N Mortgage and was co-owner of Carter-Wallace Mortgage.
Wallace says he is very happy to be a part of the Union Home Mortgage team, saying, "UHM has an outstanding leadership team and presents an exciting opportunity for growth in the mortgage origination business.” He adds, “I am looking forward to fully immersing myself in the company’s team-oriented culture and using the tools and resources UHM has made available to me, so I can better serve my customers.”
After building Carter-Wallace Mortgage, a regional mortgage leader, on honesty, integrity and efficiency at the turn of the century, Jon left the industry briefly in 2008 to complete academics "as a complement to life experience." His master’s thesis, Transformational Cultural Leadership, documents the ability to positively change organizational culture in the short term and the importance of trust and reinforcement by leaders. Wallace is currently completing his PhD in Organizational Psychology related to leadership, trust and organizational culture.
He has been nationally recognized by the Radio Advertising Bureau and Bank of America for providing solutions that benefit small businesses and improve customer service levels, directly impacting profitability. Jon has received President’s awards for performance and customer service levels from Horizon Bank and D&N Bank. Among Realtors and customers, he is known for solving problems with extensive knowledge of all mortgage-related products whether conventional or government, with clients across six states.
Jim Ferriter is National Retail Sales Manager for UHM. He says, “With over 15 years of experience in the banking industry, Jon is an exciting addition to the UHM team.” He notes, “Jon brings with him extensive leadership experience in retail mortgage banking and we are confident he will help expand the UHM brand to Southwest Michigan.”
Jon has led extraordinary community development efforts as a previous board chair for organizations including the Lakeshore Rotary, Cornerstone Chamber Services and the United Way of Southwest Michigan. He served on the Cornerstone Alliance board during the period of land acquisition and preliminary planning for the Harbor Shores Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, host of the 2016 and 2018 Senior PGA Championships.
Jon has been involved in the merger of nonprofit organizations to improve efficiencies and service delivery levels. In 2004 he received the Margaret B. Upton Volunteer of the Year award for those efforts and continues to serve the United Way in the area of Community Impact. Currently Jon is the regional director of the Wabano Council of Boy Scouts of America, the treasurer of the St. Joseph Music Boosters, Vice President of the Real Help Foundation, active in fundraising for the Krasl Art Center and serves on multiple committees for the Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors.
Jon is also one of the voices for Benton Harbor Tiger Football on News Talk 94.9 WSJM, and regularly fills in as needed as a morning show host for Mid-West Family Broadcasting.
UHM is known for its leadership in the mortgage banking community. The new office will be opening next month at 3134 Niles Road in St. Joseph across from Nye’s Apple Barn. Plans are currently to conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house from 4:30pm to 6:30pm on Friday, December 2nd, before the Light Up the Bluff ceremonies in downtown St. Joseph.
For more information about the leadership team at UHM or how you can join their growing company, please visit them at UnionHomeMortgage.com.
Union Home Mortgage (UHM) was purchased by President and CEO, Bill Cosgrove in 1999. It is a full-service mortgage banking company, with offices throughout the U.S. With headquarters located in Strongsville, Ohio, the company strives to handle loan applications as quickly and efficiently as possible, and is built around the principles of exceeding customer expectations by providing personal and professional attention to every loan application they process. UHM also promises to identify and recommend the best loan products and programs for every customer’s unique situation. For more information about UHM or to contact them, you can visit UnionHomeMortgage.com.
