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M R EP O RT | 19 COVER STORY Anywhere. Anytime. MReport Digital Bringing Today's Lending Headlines into Focus, MReport Digital Puts Mortgage Banking News at Your Fingertips Experts you trust. People you know. News you want. MReport is putting essential mortgage market news at your fingertips with our new digital edition, now available online via your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Enjoy the magazine at your desk, and tap into MReport Digital's easily accessible platform anywhere, anytime. Committed to giving originators, servicers, and all lending professionals access to smarter perspectives, MReport believes it's time to think differently about the mortgage industry. Because the American Dream is evolving . . . are you? Subscribe to MReport and MReport Digital now! Call 800.856.8060 or connect with us online at themreport.com to take advantage of our special introductory offer! digital.themreport.com powered by THEFIVESTARINSTITUTE AWI is a nonprofit organization backed by Fairway whose mission is to educate, encour- age, and inspire Americans to give back to our nation's military. Since 2016, AWI has provided more than 150 service dogs to U.S. veterans; has provided veterans with financial assistance, home repairs, small business grants, and more; has raised awareness and masks for frontline workers needing supplies to combat the pan- demic; has distributed gift cards for veterans to assist during the pandemic; and has provided food and meals for first responders. Late last year, AWI delivered 16 service dogs to 16 military servicemembers. Service dogs were presented in honor of each of the 13 fallen servicemembers killed on August 26, 2021, in Afghanistan, and the remaining three dogs were presented to honor servicemembers who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea. "What an honor and privilege it was to grant 16 service dogs to 16 veterans in a timespan of less than one hour," said Louise Thaxton, AWI Director and Co-Founder, and a Fairway Branch Manager. "We were able to fund 101 service dogs in 2021." Fairway Cares is the charitable arm of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, providing care packages and the support of fi- nancial assistance for those in need. Since 2017, Fairway Cares has provided more than 3,500 care packages nationwide; and has approved nearly 800 financial grants. In November, Fairway Cares raised in excess of $95,000 via its "Looking Forward" virtual auction. "We have all been blessed, and part of our job is to give the blessings back humbly, qui- etly," Jacobson said. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same A s the mortgage market continues to evolve, leaders in the space including Steve Jacobson and the Fairway Independent Mortgage continue to weather the storm. Braving the elements, Fairway successfully pivoted during the pandemic and continues to operate on all cylinders as the firm heads into 2022. "What you learn over the years is that growth is not easy," Jacobson said. "If you're going to have adversity, you lean into the adversity, don't run from it; you're going to have tough stuff happen. That first year may be Nirvana because everything is wonderful, but sometimes things happen, and you need to keep playing. You learn through perseverance. You learn that you have to be scrappy and display resilience." Driving home the credo that technology can exist along with the human touch, Jacobson realizes that today's tech tools are ideal to en- hance operational efficiency, but never remove from the mortgage process or that element of trust in your mortgage lender. "I think the biggest change overall in this industry has been the depth of the technology and just how much information is available to all of us," Jacobson said. "You have to create that trust with the client and that depth of the relationship must be stronger now than ever before." Relying 100% on tech is not what makes Fairway Independent Mortgage tick. It is find- ing that fine line between utilizing technology to enhance the lending process that has helped Jacobson lay the foundation for what his com- pany is today. "It doesn't matter the industry, you still need to provide amazing customer service," Jacobson said. "We all would like to process mortgages the fastest, but the process still needs to be run by humans. Someone must still pick up the phone and call people. At the end of the day, you want to talk to someone you know, and you want to talk to them fast. You must continually perform, and people will leave companies that don't perform." Even with technology helping to streamline and expedite many aspects of the mortgage process, at the end of the day, Jacobson says that the borrower is mainly going to care about the aspects of performance that they see or are impacted by directly. "You can have all these bells and whistles, but if you don't get the docs to closing in a timely fashion, you will have some upset clients," he explained. "It's still the discipline of consistency that can make or break you." Second to keeping pace with advances in tech, the Fairway team—through its participa- tion in programs including its coaching arm with Fairway Ignite—is at the forefront of educating themselves on the latest industry offerings, as well as sharpening their busi- ness acumen and skill set in an ever-changing market. "We got to keep playing, and keep being aggressive," Jacobson said. "We got to keep giving things … opportunities, as people need opportunities." ERIC C. PECK is Five Star's Managing Digital Editor. He has 20-plus years' experience covering the mortgage industry; he most recently served as Editor-in-Chief for The Mortgage Press and National Mortgage Professional Magazine. Peck graduated from the New York Institute of Technology where he received his B.A. in communication arts/media. After graduating, he began his professional career with Videography Magazine before landing in the mortgage space. Peck has edited three published books and has served as Copy Editor for Entrepreneur.com.