Author: Kayla Sutton
Assurance Financial Announces Internal Promotions
to Drive Continued Growth and Excellence
November 27, 2023
Baton Rouge, LA – Assurance Financial, a leading provider of innovative mortgage solutions, is pleased to announce a series of internal promotions aimed at strengthening the company’s leadership team and supporting its commitment to excellence in the mortgage industry.
The following individuals have been promoted to key positions within the company:
- Steve Ward has been promoted to President, Chief Operating Officer. In Steve’s expanded role as President, he will lead the day-to-day operations of the company, including Risk, Underwriting, Servicing, Post-Closing, Compliance, Licensing and Fulfillment.
- Courtney Henson has been promoted to Chief Administrative Officer. In Courtney’s new role as CAO, the following departments will fall under her leadership: Human Resources, Marketing, IT, and Corporate Council.
- Scott Alexander has been promoted to Chief Risk Officer. Scott’s essential job functions will include managing all company risk policies, as well as overseeing all company products and programs. He will also oversee the Underwriting, Compliance and Construction departments.
Kenny Hodges, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “These leadership changes reflect Assurance Financial’s commitment to deliver exceptional service, innovative solutions, and a best-in-class mortgage experience to the clients we serve.”
Download the press release here. For media inquiries, please contact Lindsi Flynn, Director of Marketing at lflynn@assurancemortgage.com
St. Jude’s goal is 100% survival. Our goal is to help them reach that. Our decision to become a corporate partner with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was based on one simple truth – all a family should worry about is helping their child when they receive devastating news.
Since 2018, Assurance Financial has participated in several community fundraisers, including the St. Jude Walk/Run and Dream Home Giveaways. Our employees regularly give directly from their paychecks. Each September, through our “Apps for Kids” campaign, we donate $50 per application we receive to St. Jude.
We’re proud to say we’ve raised over $371,000.
We set the standard of philanthropic service at a corporate level which empowers our staff to serve at an individual level. Listen to Tracey Lassere, one of our Branch Managers, talk about how Assurance Financial encourages her to help her own community.
Join Assurance, and be part of a community that gives back to those who need it most. Reach out to our National Business Development team today!
Loan Vision Case Study Featuring Assurance Financial
As with all forward-thinking organizations, Assurance Financial is well aware that continuous improvement is a necessity for any business, especially one in the ever-changing mortgage industry. 2019 found Assurance Financial looking for answers. With rapid upgrades to much of their customer-facing technology stack occurring, they knew they had to be able to quantify the spend being made and show some return on investment (ROI), but how? With their volume now averaging $1 billion per year, a far cry from the $25 million they did in their first year of business 18 years prior, Assurance found that their general ledger system could not give them the data they wanted to answer the questions being asked by the business.
“It was an old system that was kind of clunky and not very high tech,” said Chad Hebert, Chief Financial Officer at Assurance. “The capabilities weren’t the best.”
Having made the switch from a generic bookkeeping tool in 2012 to the only industry G/L solution at the time, Assurance felt their prior accounting system had reached the end of its useful life after 7 years. It was affecting the company to the point that the accounting team was having to implement other software to make up for what their current system was lacking. Assurance wanted to make sure their next solution was going to be an all-in-one fix. It needed to not only drive maximum efficiency in accounting, but also help them achieve a better understanding of their true cost to originate a loan, while also allowing them to better measure the ROI on many of the technology investments they had made.
“I think one of the biggest things people think about when investing in technology is how they’re going to get the most out of a tool, not just functionally, but also financially,” says Katherine Campbell, Digital Digital Officer at Assurance. “If they invest in something, what is their ROI going to look like?”
Assurance Financial’s new solution had to be for the long term. It would have to support the growth delivered by an ambitious management team, now and far into the future.
The Solution & The Implementation Experience
Loan Vision was not a new product to Hebert. The talk about Loan Vision had been something he had heard about for several years, as it popped up often during CFO round tables, at conferences, and in other industry events.
“This industry is kind of dominated by two players,” says Hebert. “And when you start hearing that people are making the switch from one to the other, and why they’re making that switch, that’s what led me to pull the trigger.”
What made Hebert most excited about the decision to move, was the solution’s ability to condense many of the support systems and processes into one platform, as their current system’s inability to do so was really weighing on his team.
Company culture shouldn’t be compromised. If you love what you do and where you do it, your clients and partners will feel it. Assurance Financial, we make sure you feel proud of the people you work for.
Our commitment to culture has earned recognition over the years.
- National Mortgage News named in the top 50 “Best Mortgage Companies to Work For”
- Mortgage Executive Magazine named “50 Best Mortgage Companies to Work For”
- National Mortgage Professional Magazine named “Top Mortgage Employer”
- Business Report named “Best Places to Work in Baton Rouge”
- Top 10 Mortgage Company Winner in Customer Satisfaction by Experience.com
Reach out to our Nation Business Development team today, and learn more about why our people stick with us.
If you’re a seasoned veteran in the mortgage industry, you know that there will be great markets and, inevitably, challenging markets. During those tough times, you want a team behind you that you can count on. Over the past 20+ years, Assurance Financial has proven we can handle any phase of the industry.
Our tenacity is why Damian Cook, Atlanta Branch Manager, has been with Assurance for nearly a decade.
“Having gone through challenging times with Assurance and seeing how leadership handles that and supports the branch, that’s a place you want to be long term.”
Get the support you deserve. Reach out to our National Business Development Team today!
HousingWire recognized Katherine Campbell, Assurance Financial Chief Digital Officer, with their 2022 Marketing Leaders award.
HousingWire’s Marketing Leaders award celebrates the most creative and influential marketing minds of the housing economy. These leaders have a track record of transforming brands, leading teams, and driving business results within their industries. Through marketing strategies, campaigns, and purpose-driven programs, HW Marketing Leaders are strengthening their brands and building their organizations’ reputations each and every day.
Katherine Campbell is a veteran in the financial services industry and currently serves as the chief digital officer for Assurance Financial. With more than 20 years of digital experience, she is an analytics-driven executive with expertise in web conversion, UI, and technical integrations.
Campbell quickly made an impact when she joined the organization in 2018 and has climbed the ranks to be an influential voice within the company — and the mortgage industry at large. Campbell has hand-selected top-tier technology, adopting and integrating over 20 new solutions since joining Assurance Financial. Campbell understands the industry like no other and has the digital expertise to know what technology the Assurance Financial team needs to stand out as a lender and deliver a superior customer experience. Campbell oversaw the implementation of an improved online application process for borrowers, positioning Assurance Financial as a trusted lender and technology leader.
Check out Katherine Campbell’s feature here.