Shirley Finucan is an industry veteran who is pushing the operations side of mortgage lending forward. 

She has led Southern Trust Mortgage’s hundreds of operations employees while developing the company’s new priority approval and operations teams systems. These two initiatives alone have allowed Southern Trust Mortgage to nearly triple in volume in less than four years. 

Finucan has completely revamped the company’s operations structure into a region-based team system, giving its loan officers the peace of mind that comes with working with the same team of processors, underwriters and closers on every loan. She brought consistency to the process to keep everyone on the same page and improve workflows between team members. 

Southern Trust loan officers have a dedicated operations team on every one of their loans. Finucan also developed the priority approval programs, giving Southern Trust Mortgage loan officers the ability to have a fully underwritten credit approval for their buyers in less than 24 hours. Finucan explained this approval is a game-changer because it is a full credit approval and puts the ability to submit the loan directly to the underwriter in the LOs hands. 

LOs need minimum documentation: just the borrower’s paystubs, bank statements and W2s in order to obtain the approval, condensing a typical 30-day process to just one day. 

The ability to thrive in this business for decades, keeping up with all market demand and bringing about major system improvements have made Finucan an invaluable team member and a proven leader in the industry.

What one habit has made a crucial difference in your success?
Asking “why do we do it that way” has been crucial. Thinking outside of the box to find better and more efficient solutions instead of relying on comfortable ones is essential. Stepping outside of my comfort zone usually results in meaningful growth and development.