The process of getting a mortgage was, for the most part, taken for granted before the recession.  But times change and getting a mortgage became a major headache.  Bank of England (BOE), however, bucks the trend by offering excellent communication and customer service throughout the mortgage approval process.  “Bank of England has been very effective at getting transactions closed for our customers in World Golf Village and throughout Northeast Florida,” explains Sherry Davidson of Davidson Realty. “In many banks, customers are not given personalized service and it is hard to get anyone to care about the timing of the closing. With BOE, they strive to close transactions in 21 days and you can get someone to help if your transaction has an issue.”

Bank of England is a state chartered, full-service FDIC insured bank founded in 1898 in England, Arkansas.  BOE’s corporate headquarters is in Little Rock, Arkansas; one of the company’s top mortgage divisions is located in Northeast Florida. Although BOE is licensed to do business in all 50 states, its Northeast Florida mortgage banking center primarily focuses on doing business in our backyard – a benefit to homebuyers looking to purchase in World Golf Village, the 210 corridor, and throughout St. Johns and Duval counties.

We recently talked with Troy Silhan, Production Manager, Bank of England.

Q: Your mortgage business continues to grow.  Why are customers coming to Bank of England for their Purchases and Refinancing of mortgage loans? The reason most clients seek us out is due to our competitive advantages.   In the mortgage business, the two most important things that are often overlooked are communication and service.  The fact that we pride ourselves on closing purchases in 21 business days from signed contract is unparalleled to anyone else in the business.  All of our processing of mortgage loans is done on site at our branch right here in Jacksonville, which means the communication internally is as simple as walking down the hall to meet with someone face-to-face, or even meeting with the client in the office. Purchasing or refinancing a home is a stressful process.  The last thing a client wants or needs is the bank or mortgage lenders to make it that much harder by not doing the simple things like communicating and providing the quality of customer service that has been lacking from our industry for so long.

Q: What’s your outlook for 2013? Our business outlook for 2013 can be summed up in two words; Purchases and Growth.  Living in beautiful Northeast Florida you realize how great of a market we live in compared to other parts of the county.  BOE wants to help all of our business partners grow their business in 2013.  There is an old adage in the mortgage business that the only thing that is consistent is inconsistency. BOE is certain that by providing consistent customer service and communication to our partners and clients we can help our business partners achieve their growth goals in 2013 as well.

Q: How do you stay connected? We are involved in several local organizations, including Business Networking International (BNI), Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR), Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA), Women’s Council of Realty (WCR).  We also regularly visit top real estate firms like Davidson Realty to help facilitate transactions and keep the home buying process as smooth as possible for customers.

Learn more about Bank of England’s mortgage division at www.boejax.com.