December 13, 2017
Home loan products are integral to the what HDF does as an organization. So today we sat and chatted with our Closing and Syndication Manager Winifred Bailey – who has been with HDF for 10 years – about her work at HDF. What has driven her to keep doing the good work that she does in the affordable housing industry? Find it out from our interview!
What’s your typical day like at HDF?
I work closely with attorneys and paralegals throughout the State of Connecticut and New York on a daily basis. I coordinate the closings of HDF loans with not only attorneys but also with our partnered banks. I prepare closing packages for HDF loan products, ensure I comply with CFPB regulations when issuing our Closing Disclosures and prepare funding documents to fund HDF loans.
In addition, I also prepare pool funding reports and request funding for SmartMove Connecticut and SmartMove New York closed loans from our partnered banks.
Could you share a rewarding experience you have had since joining HDF with us?
It is rewarding speaking with clients and hearing how grateful they are of the services we provide and knowing that our clients are getting good loans when they closed with HDF loan products. I believe we are making a difference in people’s lives because access to affordable housing helps create housing stability and improves quality of life for families.
How did you come to work with HDF?
About 10 years ago, I worked as a Transfer and Escrow Analyst for a Mortgage Company in White Plains, NY. I worked on thousands of loans with high delinquencies, high interest rates-overall bad loans. When I was interviewed for a position in Residential Lending, I was intrigued to hear of HDF’s mission, loan subsidies that were favorable to clients and homeownership counseling education that HDF provides to clients. I wanted to learn more and it has been a rewarding learning experience working for HDF.
Could you name one person at HDF that you really enjoy working with, especially the ones outside of your department?
I enjoy working with Richard Zenlinsky our IT Business Analyst because he is extremely knowledgeable and always so eager to help with systems issues.
What are your work goals in the next two years?
My goals are to continue to maintain good relationships with our partnered banks as well as attorneys and to close more loans particularly first mortgage loans as we grow and expand to new service areas.
Could you share with us about the most important lesson that you have learned while working at HDF?
In my early years working for HDF, I worked on several closings for new developments with below market rate units throughout Stamford, Connecticut. In speaking with clients and hearing their stories of achieving homeownership and witnessing the transformation in Stamford, I’ve learned how important affordable housing is to families and communities. I had someone calling me recently saying that she is so thankful and that she is finally closing and moving. To some people, this is their dream. I learned that knowing people’s stories is important because it helps me to be understanding. There is a story behind every person and every file, so you just have to be open to help in whichever way we can and make sure that they get to closing.
Also, I believe that what we do here, affordable housing, helps create life stability. When someone has a stable place, I think it improves the quality of life for the families that we work with. So that’s one of the reasons why I enjoy working here.
Thank you Winifred for sharing your experience working at HDF. Remember, HDF is here to help all families buy their homes! We provide free first-time homebuyer education classes, one-on-one counseling, and downpayment assistance. Many more staffs at HDF like Winifred are here to help YOU, so don’t miss out the wonderful opportunities…
And please check out our first-time homebuyer programs HERE!