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Metlife Home Loans
Donna Hackman
P.O. Box 3
New
Haven, IN 46774
Phone:
260-493-1074
Fax: 260-493-1079
Web:
www.mlbreversemortgage.com/dhackman
Metlife Home Loans is a company that
has a variety of services one of which
is Reverse Mortgages. Donna Hackman
began working for Metlife as a Reverse
Mortgage Consultant in 2008, however,
she has worked with reverse mortgages
for longer than that. As I spoke with
Hackman it became clear that she has a
great desire to assist seniors in living
a fulfilling and independent life. She
said, "Older adults have specific needs
and it feels really good to offer them a
product that may help them improve their
quality of life."
Her job is to originate reverse
mortgages for seniors 62 and over. She
told me, "A reverse mortgage is a way
for older adults to access the equity in
their home to pay for necessities or
even extras in life while allowing them
to live in their home and maintain their
independence."
Reverse Mortgage
Loans are special types of mortgage
loans that access a portion of the
equity in a home and defer repayment of
the mortgage loan interest and principal
for as long as the homeowner lives in
their home as their primary residence.
There are no monthly mortgage payments
and no financial requirements to
qualify.
The amount of money the
homeowner qualifies for is determined by
the value of the home, the age of the
homeowner, the reverse mortgage plan
chosen, the plan’s lending limits, and
the interest rate. Ownership of the home
does not change. The homeowner retains
the title to the property.
"I educate people on how they can use
a reverse mortgage to provide them with
independence," said Hackman. "One man I
worked with could hardly get in and out
of his truck. By getting a reverse
mortgage, he was able to get a new
vehicle that he could get in and out of
without making any payments on that
vehicle. That truck helped him to
maintain his independence."
Hackman has been a member of the Chamber of
Commerce since 2008. She said,
"Networking is the greatest benefit I
receive from being a Chamber Member.
Eventually I believe I will get business
from all of the acquaintances I have
made. People have to have a real major
trust in you to listen about how a
reverse mortgage loan can help them or a
loved one."
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Partners 1st Federal Credit Union
began as Phillips Electronic Credit
Union. They opened the branch in New
Haven Plaza in June of 2003. At that
same time Phillips Electronic Credit
Union merged with Tokheim Credit Union.
Then in 2006 they changed their name to
Partners 1st Federal Credit Union.
Partners 1st Federal Credit Union is a
non-profit, full-service financial
organization that serves various
employee groups, their family members,
and several community areas. “We cater
to members financial needs; savings,
checking, loans, investments,
retirement, etc.,” said Neal. “We also
have more of a personal feel. In my
opinion, and in a lot of our member’s
opinions, people get lost at the big
banks. We are here to help our members
with their financial needs with a more
personal level of service.”
Andrea Neal, the Branch Manager stated
that she has always been interested in
banking. She said, “I actually went to
college for banking and finance. I
started out as a teller and ended up in
the loan department and then went into
mortgages. I was a mortgage loan officer
for several years. I went off the
beaten path for a while and did some
sales. And then I worked my way back
in.”
At this time Neal has two
employees under her management; an
Assistant Manager and a part-time
Teller. With these three employees this
branch of Partners 1st Federal Credit
Union has managed to increase their
membership in spite of a less than
convenient location and the economic
downturn. Neal said, “We are growing in
spite of our challenges. I would love to
see us have our own building soon; that
is my personal goal. That was my goal
when I took this job. We have some big
things working against us, we don’t have
a drive through, we don’t have an ATM
machine, and we are not in a convenient
location. However, the location is
getting better with Lutheran Hospital’s
addition.”
“We’re not just some
stuffy suit and tie kind of credit
union,” said Neal. “We have fun.
Recently we came out with a Rewards Visa
and a Rewards Checking, which is
something we didn’t offer before. To get
the employees excited about their
promotion, the administration is
offering these fun little contests and
games. For example, in May they did a
Jeopardy contest, a Price is Right
contest, a Dating Game contest, and a
Wheel of Fortune contest. Each day there
was a question which had to be answered.
The question was based on the new
products we were offering, so at the end
of the week, a name was chosen out of
the individuals with the correct answers
and they won prizes. These contests were
held to encourage the employees to get
excited about the products coming out,
and to sell them to the membership.”
Partners 1st Federal Credit Union
has been an active member of the Chamber
since 2003. When asked what the biggest
benefit was that Partners 1st has
received from being a member Neal said,
“Definitely name recognition and
promotion. We went to the Cinco de Mayo
and Mardi Gras this year. We also
sponsored a social hole in the Golf
Outing which we haven’t done before.”
She continued, “I am really trying to
get our name out there and so I am using
the chamber a lot to do that. We have
already taken advantage of the New
Member and New Resident Packets. I am
very interested in the Job Posting and
Hot Deals on the web site and hope to
take advantage of those at some point.”
Neal stated, “What I like about
being a branch manager here is that I
know all of the members that come in by
a first name basis. Our members love us
in here; they are very loyal.”
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