Early stint as a teller telegraphed her career as loan originator
From an early age, Mary Mattingly knew she wanted to work in the mortgage business. After a few early hurdles, she eventually would open her own brokerage: My Mortgage Group powered by Amerifund.
“I got married when I was 18, and worked as a teller for a credit union,” she said. Her then-husband’s military career would prompt a move from Washington State to California, where she secured her real estate license.
“I began working as a transaction coordinator for a real estate and brokerage office with the intention of being a real estate agent,” she said. Yet she quickly found the lending aspect more appealing. “I really enjoyed the lending side of it much more than the real estate side of it,” she recalled. “I like people, but do not like showing 36 properties to picky buyers. I knew real estate wasn’t where I really wanted to be. I liked the black-and-white of mortgage lending, but also the ability to think outside the box.”
But first came family: “Between 2006 and 2008, I was a stay-at-home mom,” she said. She would separate from her husband by 2010, with a quest to get into mortgage lending. By 2011, she started in processing before joining another company six months later as a loan officer assistant. Later, she would manage a team of five people for five years. She said she came to disapprove of business practices at the company she worked at, prompting her to venture out on her own.
In a hurry to succeed
“During that time period, I went back and got my NMLS [Nationwide Multistate Licensing System], and started my own company, My Mortgage Group just a few years ago.” She opted to go the DBA route given her ADHD – realizing she couldn’t run the business as well as originating, she said – and thus aligned her branch with Amerifund. “We’re growing exponentially,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to be in the industry in some capacity – it was my path. I knew it since I was working as a teller in that credit union.”
Unethical practices by a former employer made an impression on her, she said. “When I tell people integrity for me is a huge, huge thing, it’s because it matters to me. Over the years, I’ve seen far too much of that. When the market was crashing, people passed bad loans and put people in very difficult positions. It was awful for me to watch people lose their homes and suffer the way they did. My intention as a loan officer myself is to never, ever put a client in that kind of position. If that means I don’t agree with the type of loan they may be eligible for, but will put them in financial hardship, I have no problem telling them to find another broker. I won’t be responsible for that.”
What strikes one in talking to Mattingly is her youthful resolve. She would become licensed in December 2005 with her California real estate license at the age of 20 after two years of transaction coordinator and office management for a real estate company. She would officially become licensed with NMLS in 2017 at the age of 32. “It took more than a decade for me to find my footing and realize what I was worth and what My Mortgage Group could be.”
Follow these steps on how to get your real estate license in California in this article.
She noted the determiner “my” in the company name isn’t centered on her but on her clients.
She has many to thank
Since remarried, she credits her spouse with supporting her career. “My husband, Chris, and his support – along with wanting to show my kids that hard work, ethics, integrity and determination win out over a quick dollar – was a huge motivation when I went out solo, but also is still my driving force. I also owe my gratitude to my parents, Lee and Lori, who, since a young age, always encouraged and supported me and were huge supporters of following my dream to open MMG.”
She also credits the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) with supporting her. The first AIME event she attended before the pandemic hit would change the trajectory of her career, she said. “I met some of the most amazing people. The Women’s Mortgage Network had its inaugural event, and I can tell you I am still friends with every single woman in that group today. It [AIME] made me realize I’m not alone. I deserve to be here, I’m smart enough to be here, and I have all these people who have my back. I love them dearly.”
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