New American Funding was en route to another record-breaking business year in 2021, despite the pandemic and all of its challenges.

The 18-year-old mortgage lender in Tustin has also grown, increasing its staff to more than 1,200 employees in Orange County and more than 4,000 employees at 200 offices in the U.S. This year, the company won its 10th honor as a Top Workplace winner.

CEO Rick Arvielo, who co-founded the company with his wife, NAF President Patty Arvielo, credited a nimble corporate culture for his company’s success.

“We really do think of our team as a family. We care about them, support them and help them succeed,” he said.

Employees commend New American Funding for “authentic leadership” that allows them to feel appreciated while working in a flexible and encouraging setting.

“I am challenged every day to do better or more,” wrote one employee in the survey. “I really do appreciate working here, and I am thankful I found NAF when I was looking for a new environment. It has given me so much more than I could’ve imagined.”

Arvielo shared with us more about his company’s workplace. His answers have been edited for length.

Q: Did the company experience another record-making year in 2021? If so, tell us about that momentum and how it might have motivated the company and its staff.

Last year was, to put it simply, the best year in our company’s history. We broke every conceivable company record and helped more than 100,000 families buy a home or refinance their mortgage. And things haven’t slowed down at all. We’re on track to have just as good of a year in 2021.

Last year, many of our team felt like they were “drinking from a firehose,” trying to keep up with the mortgage demand driven by historically low-interest rates and people’s shifting views on their own homes driven by the pandemic. During that time, we learned how to handle that volume and continue to provide industry-leading customer service.

This year, we’ve taken those lessons and put procedures in place to manage the continually elevated demand. That has enabled our team to thrive and feel more engaged in our mutual success. The result is that we are positioned to have another amazing year on par with last year. Beyond that, we’re now set up to succeed in the future, whatever new developments may come.

CEO Rick Arvielo and President Patty Arvielo at New American Funding in 2018 in Tustin. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Q: In most of the stories written about NAF as a Top Workplace, leadership often calls its team a family. How did the company help its family grow and learn in 2021?

A: Treating people the way they want to be treated, respecting one another, and choosing right over wrong is what all our employees do in their personal lives. As a company, we simply brought those personal principles into the business as well.

Q: Did NAF further adapt its workplace while dealing with ongoing pandemic rules?

A: As many companies did, we shifted to a largely remote environment in March 2020. We prioritized our team’s health and safety above all else. What we found in that time is that our team thrived when shifting to a work-from-home environment. In an effort to continue to keep them safe and after finding great success last year in that remote environment, we made the decision to carry that arrangement forward into this year.

Q: NAF prides itself on helping the Hispanic community and people of color get loans for their homes. Tell us how the company has helped this community.

A: As a mortgage lender, we believe that the greatest path to generational wealth is through owning a home. That’s why our entire team works tirelessly to ensure that everyone who can buy a home is able to do so.

For far too long, people in minority communities were left behind when it came to these opportunities. That’s why we established our Latino Focus and New American Dream initiatives, which focus on boosting homeownership among the Hispanic and Black communities, respectively.

Q: Pivoting to hiring, it looks as though the company is continuing its growth trajectory. How was hiring?

A: Our family grew substantially as we’ve hired nearly 1,800 people this year alone. What we’ve found is that the mortgage business is very desirable to people who want to help those in their community secure the American Dream.

Q: What is one of the lasting lessons learned from working with the NAF team during a pandemic that has stretched for nearly two years?

We’ve learned that the strength and resolve of our team is one of our greatest resources. Our entire team faced enormous challenges over the last year, navigating unprecedented demand while trying to keep themselves and their families safe.

Q: Tell us what’s ahead for NAF in the year to come.

A: For us, the future is all about the online borrower. Younger people don’t wait around for someone to call them back. They want an answer now, they want to talk to someone now, they want the process to start now. That certainly extends to their mortgage experience, especially as more of the millennial and Gen Z generations approach the age where they are ready to buy a home.

We’ve been investing for years now to ensure that we serve these borrowers how they want to be served at the speed they desire. There is a seismic shift underway in the housing industry, away from referrals from real estate agents to online, which is growing exponentially. If you’re not preparing now for the future of the mortgage business, you are setting yourself up to fail.

We feel we’re already ready for the future right now.

New American Funding

Founded: 2003

Industry: Mortgages

Headquarters: Tustin

OC employees: 1,132

Website: newamericanfunding.com

“Like any business, the pandemic has presented new challenges. However, I can speak personally to the fact we didn’t want to lose the human touch in our communications because it means so much to get the job done right.” Rick Arvielo, CEO

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New American Funding

Founded: 2003

Headquarters: Tustin

Industry: Mortgage lending

OC employees: 1,262

Website: newamericanfunding.com

“Treating people the way they want to be treated, respecting one another, and choosing right over wrong is what all our employees do in their personal lives. As a company, we simply brought those personal principles into the business as well.” New American Funding CEO Rick Arvielo

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