Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Andy Garrett, Global Head of Marketing at SitusAMC, the parent company of ReadyPrice. We spent a bit of time profiling ReadyPrice, but really I was interested in learning a bit more about the company and its culture. This is what I learned.
Launched in 2020, ReadyPrice’s is a dynamic community, bringing together leading mortgage loan originators (MLOs) and lenders to facilitate a more efficient loan origination process. ReadyPrice enables MLOs to manage and choose pricing, run automated underwriting, and deliver approved loans to lenders at no cost to them. For lenders, ReadyPrice provides an efficient way to scale their businesses, ensuring wholesale lending rates are included in every pricing engine search while providing brokers with the easiest path to directly transfer DU-approved loans. ReadyPrice technologies support FNMA, FRE, FHA, VA, USDA, VA, and non-agency (non-QM, jumbo, etc.) loan originations.
In January of this year, ReadyPrice was acquired by SitusAMC, augmenting their system with a broad ecosystem of complementary technology and services across the lifecycle of real estate finance. Since then Ready- Price has grown at an unprecedented rate, improving its platform and investing in new tools to drive efficiency and transparency across the origination process.
When asked about the company’s people development it was interesting to learn how their deep focus on technology, translates through to their people. The ReadyPrice and SitusAMC leadership believe that their success is rooted in the quality of their people. To that end, they’ve established an in-house training department that provides support and training to ensure their people feel empowered to be their best. Additionally, the leadership team launched the SitusAMC University, housing tools, and resources that employees can access in real-time. Finally, they leverage many subject matter experts from across the enterprise to provide unique perspectives and insights in the form of webinars, articles, podcasts, and more to sharing knowledge through their employee network, enabling them with the knowledge they need to be better partners for customers and clients.
The company and its people believe that they have a responsibility to the communities where they work, live, and play. Their offices regularly come together to support local charities and volunteer time. A highlight from this past year was when SitusAMC and associated companies came together to partner with Feeding -America to provide 250,000 meals for the hungry. A very rewarding experience for all.
Similar to other businesses like theirs, last year the COVID-19 pandemic created unique challenges for their team as well. However, reflecting on the past year, they believe it’s made them more thoughtful on how they engage with colleagues as well as how they maintain their culture. “Given the rapid growth of ReadyPrice and the many acquisitions led by SitusAMC much of the work we do around employee engagement is about bringing our people together and providing transparent views into the enterprise and where we are on our journey,” explains Andy. They do this through all-employee town halls, updates from leadership, and consistent communications.
When asked what makes him most proud of the company, Andy replies, “That’s easy, the willingness of our teams to embrace change!” And it sounds like more change is on the way for 2021.