Watching our customers get the keys to their new homes never gets old… in fact, it becomes more meaningful with time. Despite the challenges of the real estate market in 2025, we helped many families and individuals achieve their homeownership goals throughout the year — something we are very proud of!
Homeownership is a significant goal for many people because it gives them a place to make memories and helps them invest in their future. Plus, it provides a sense of stability and community. That’s why our jobs, as mortgage professionals, are so important to us — because we provide a way for our neighbors, family members, friends, and colleagues to achieve this.
As we look back on 2025, we have many amazing milestones, achievements, and awards to celebrate. These are the moments that make us who we are… a team of elite mortgage professionals who are dedicated to helping people come “home.”
Happy Customers = Flourishing Mortgage Business
We prioritize helping people achieve their dream of owning a home, but we also want to ensure we do it correctly. That’s why our customers’ feedback is so important to us.
In 2025, we had an average Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 95! NPS works like this: companies are given a rating from -100 (the worst score) to 100 (the best), based on customer feedback. So, as you can see, an overwhelming majority of our customers agree that we provided an exceptional mortgage experience.
We couldn’t have pulled it off without our amazing employees, who work hard every day to provide an even better mortgage journey, by focusing on technology solutions; consistent, transparent communication with our homebuyers; identifying and implementing the best mortgage products; and much more.
Oodles of Awards: Waterstone Mortgage 2025 Achievements
2025 was an award-winning year for Waterstone Mortgage, marked by national recognition for our people, performance, and company culture. Despite a challenging mortgage industry environment, our team continued to stand out as a top-performing lender and an exceptional place to work.
We proudly earned Scotsman Guide’s “Top Workplaces” award, recognizing our commitment to an engaging, forward-thinking company culture driven by our dedicated team members. Their hard work and collaboration remain the foundation of our success.
Our loan originators received widespread industry recognition throughout the year. Twenty were named to Scotsman Guide’s "Top Originators" list, 18 earned Mortgage Executive Magazine’s "Top 1% Mortgage Originators in America," and eight sales professionals were recognized on National Mortgage News’ "Top Producers" list.
In addition, Gwen Swain (Branch Manager, Eagle, ID), Clarissa Hernandez (Sales Manager, Austin, TX), and Neal Tipton (Branch Manager, Waldorf, MD) were honored as Scotsman Guide "Top Emerging Stars" after collectively helping nearly 330 families achieve their homeownership goals. Gwen Swain, Clarissa Hernandez, and Sue Botelho (Branch Manager, Fort Walton Beach, FL) were also named among Scotsman Guide’s "Top Women Originators" for 2025.
Excellence at Waterstone Mortgage extends beyond sales. Our Legal team earned the Top 50 Corporate Counsel Team award, and our Operations team received the Top 50 Operations Team honor from OnConferences — prestigious recognitions spanning all industries, not just mortgage lending.
Our leadership team was also celebrated for exceptional vision and performance. Rich Tucker (COO) was named a Top 10 COO Award Winner, and Stephanie Ziebell (CLO) received the Top 10 Corporate Counsel Award from OnConferences. In addition, Jeff McGuiness (President & CEO) was honored with the HousingWire 2025 Vanguard Award for visionary leadership.
We also proudly recognized Melissa Ferenc (VP – Underwriting) as the recipient of the Kim Newby Heart of a Champion Award, an internal honor celebrating purpose, authenticity, enthusiasm, and positive impact within the workplace.
While 2025 presented challenges across the mortgage industry, Waterstone Mortgage remained focused on excellence and growth. Our efforts were recognized with Mortgage Executive Magazine’s "Top 50 Mortgage Companies" award and Scotsman Guide’s "Top Mortgage Lender" distinction, reinforcing our position as a trusted industry leader.
Fun Milestones and Events in Waterstone Mortgage 2025
At Waterstone Mortgage, our year was also jam-packed with some exciting events, conferences, and milestones.
In April, some of our sales team members enjoyed an amazing Top Producers Trip at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, Florida. There was plenty of fun, laughter, and celebration in a beautiful setting.
During the summer, we celebrated a major milestone — our company’s 25th anniversary! The occasion was marked with a delicious catered lunch at the Home Office, complete with laughter, fun games, and plenty of Waterstone Mortgage swag.
In the fall, we hosted our annual Branch Manager Meeting in suburban Milwaukee. This was a great opportunity for our loan originators and sales leaders to share ideas and strategies for business growth, professional development, and much more.
And finally, in November, our Home Office team members also celebrated “Friendsgiving” — one of our employees’ favorite traditions, complete with Thanksgiving-style comfort foods. (Delish!)
Embracing Community: Waves of Kindness and Local Impact
2025 was also an important year for Waves of Kindness, our Waterstone Mortgage community outreach initiative. Because we believe homeownership is vitally important to our local neighborhoods, we also support the organizations and charities that strengthen those same communities.
As part of our Waves of Kindness initiative, in the summer of 2025, a few of our Home Office employees supported Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin by teaming up with other volunteers to pack more than 4,700 meals (and 22,000+ pounds of green beans!) for local families.
Later in the fall, another group of Waterstone Mortgage employees volunteered at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, working diligently to pack nearly 4,000 meals for individuals and families in our eastern Wisconsin communities. It was a meaningful and fulfilling way to give back to the people in our local towns. (Plus, we may have built some muscles along the way.)
Celebrating Team Additions & Employee Accomplishments
2025 was also a milestone year for new additions to our team. We welcomed many new employees, including Margie Hennessey (VP – Eastern Region Sales), who joined us with the goal of focusing on talent acquisition and helping our team grow.
In addition, Stephanie Ziebell, who has been an invaluable asset to our Legal team for more than a decade, was promoted to Chief Legal Officer.
Overall, we had a great year of growth for our organization, which is an important part of our goal to support as many homebuyers as possible. With the right people in place, we remain committed to helping individuals and families achieve their homeownership goals.
Sales Success: Top Mortgage Originators and Leaders
The year was a pivotal time for many of our loan originators, who were presented with some unique opportunities to help people reach their homeownership dreams. Working diligently to serve thousands of customers in 2025, more than 30 of our sales team members achieved President’s Club status for the year.
In fact, the year was such a success that we also inducted three new members into our elite Blue Diamond Club — John Gabaldon (Loan Originator, Albuquerque, NM), Jason Pike (Branch Manager, Albuquerque, NM), and Mike David (Branch Manager, Tulsa, OK). This prestigious internal recognition has only been achieved by a handful of loan originators in our company’s history.
A Year to Remember: Waterstone Mortgage 2025 Highlights
Overall, there was a lot to celebrate in 2025! Though our industry saw some tough times, we stayed committed to our vision of being an elite lender. To help fulfill our mission, we also hired many new sales and support team members throughout the year. This helped us support our ultimate goal to say “yes” to as many homebuyers as possible throughout 2025.
Plus, we’re looking forward to achieving even greater goals in 2026. We are dedicated to being an exceptional mortgage lender, and we’ll never stop working strategically, innovatively, and creatively to serve homebuyers.
