“We were beyond frustrated”, stated Cassi Steiger of Aberdeen regarding the refinancing of a home her husband, Justin, has owned for 11 years. On three separate occasions, the Steigers had pursued a refinancing option at local banks and were turned down. “It was difficult enough to receive a denial, but the worst part was not being given a chance to explain our situation or any options on how to fix what was keeping us from getting an approval”, added Justin.
It was when Justin and Cassi stopped in to see Alex Vogel, the Dakotaland Aberdeen Branch Manager, about a personal loan for their upcoming wedding; the conversation turned to their desire to refinance their mortgage. Alex encouraged the Steigers to complete a loan application and let the Credit Union’s Mortgage Lending Department take a look. Justin utilized the online loan application and within a short period of time was contacted by Real Estate Loan Officer, Tom Myers. “Tom informed me the news was not good and I thought, oh here we go again”, relayed Justin. Mr. Myers then did something the other lenders had not done. He proceeded to explain the obstacles he had found and what Cassi and Justin could do to eliminate the barrier to get them to an approval. “It turns out a lien on our mortgage was the main concern. We knew it was going to take some time, but Tom broke the process down into manageable steps and helped us resolve the problem”, Justin added.
Justin became a member and relocated his financial services from his bank to the Credit Union. “I really like the electronic services at the Credit Union. It makes it easy to move money between accounts and manage my finances even when I’m too busy to stop in”, explained Justin. With their financial business now under one roof, the Steigers continued to review their options and were soon introduced to Dakotaland’s low interest VISA® Credit Card. “It sure made a difference when we were able to consolidate credit cards with a better interest rate into one manageable payment”, shared Cassi.
Cassi and Justin have a houseful with three daughters; Aurelia (13), Saffron (10) and Bentleigh (8), plus their dog, Nala and their cat, Rumchata. So it was an exciting day at the Steiger home, when they got the call to let them know their mortgage was approved and they could start on the addition of a much needed bedroom and a bathroom remodel. But the story does not end here. Less than a year later Justin and Cassi came back to the Credit Union with the intentions of securing a loan to consolidate miscellaneous debt and finance additional improvements to their home. The Steigers were again excited to discover the equity in their home qualified them for a second mortgage to help them reach their goal.
Justin works at the Water Treatment Plant for the City of Aberdeen and also owns and operates Justin’s Gutters & Down Spouts Cleaning. Cassi is employed by Ophthalmology Associates and the head chauffeur for their daughters who are involved in dance, soccer, cross country and track. “We are a busy family and I really appreciated how Dakotaland handled our situation. They were on the ball and when it was time, they were ready to go. Our financial picture looks completely different today, so in our case, I guess you could say the third time really is a charm”, concluded Justin.
