Stimulus Payments
We’ve put together helpful FAQs and other important information in our guide about the third government stimulus check.
Our Mortgage Team
a local expert can Help You Buy a Home
One of the many great benefits of working with Honor to buy a house is that our lenders are local across all of our markets in Southwest Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula. They live and work in the area you are looking to buy a house in. Honor offers a full line of home loan products and we have a local lender to help you understand them all and guide you through the buying process.
Battle Creek Area
Find a knowledgeable mortgage expert to help you buy a house in the greater Battle Creek and Coldwater communities.
Stacey Donner
Lending Area: Branch County, and surrounding areas
Main Office: Coldwater Member Center
Email: sdonner@honorcu.com
Facebook: Connect with Stacey
Stacey has over five years of experience in the credit union industry and is an experienced mortgage lender. She enjoys working with members at all points in their home buying journey. Her goal is to assist members in reaching their goal of purchasing their first home or their dream home!
Stacey prides herself on being fast and efficient while providing great member service. She is knowledgeable in all home loans Honor Credit Union offers, but specializes in FHA and RD loans.
Outside of work, Stacey loves to spend time with her husband and son. They enjoy spending time at Lake Michigan and attending Michigan State football games.
Mary Ann Evans
Lending Area: Battle Creek community, and surrounding areas
Main Office: Battle Creek Urbandale Member Center
Email: mevans@honorcu.com
Mary Ann has four years of experience in the mortgage lending industry. One of the many things she likes about her job is helping members overcome the challenges associated with becoming qualified to purchase a home. Mary Ann is a conversation starter and loves to chat with members to hear their specific needs and goals for homeownership.
Mary Ann is knowledgeable in all of Honor Credit Union’s home loan types, but she finds a certain satisfaction when working with members to consolidate debt to help them reach their goal of owning a home.
Outside of work, Mary Ann enjoys relaxing, whether it’s crocheting or playing cards. She also likes to get outside and go kayaking.
Greater Kalamazoo Area
We have a team of mortgage experts ready to help you buy a house in the greater Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan, Paw Paw, and Decatur communities.
Nita Snyder
Lending Area: Kalamazoo, Portage, Plainwell, Otsego, Allegan
Main Office: Kalamazoo Member Center
Email: nsnyder@honorcu.com
Facebook: Connect with Nita
Nita has over 13 years of experience in the financial industry and five years of experience with mortgages. The most rewarding part of her job is seeing the excitement on the face of a new homeowner after helping them through the process. She said it is also gratifying to help current homeowners lower their interest rate to get them in a better financial position.
Nita prides herself on being honest and up-front with members. She likes to set expectations with the member to let them know what she needs and what they can expect. She provides members with a tentative timeline of events for the mortgage process and she communicates with them throughout the process.
She is versed in all home loan types Honor Credit Union offers, although she seems to have a knack for working with FHA loans and first-time home buyers because of her attention to detail.
Outside of work, Nita enjoys spending time with her family. Nita is an active volunteer with a local Autism group and with Boy Scouts.
Greg Toliver
Lending Area: Mattawan, Paw Paw, Decatur areas
Main Office: Virtual Member Center
Email: gtoliver@honorcu.com
Greg has been in the mortgage lending industry since 2016. The thing he likes most about his job is being able to help members fulfill their dream of owning their first home or purchasing their dream home.
One of Greg’s strengths is his relentlessness to find ways to put a mortgage together for members no matter their financial situation. For borrowers who need help in the qualifying process, Greg likes to work with them to put together a list of things that will help them reach their goal of homeownership.
Greg is knowledgeable in all home loan types Honor Credit Union offers. Whether it’s a conventional home loan, an FHA loan, RD, or portfolio loan, Greg is going to work hard to find the best match for a member.
Outside of work, Greg is an active hunter, a golfer, and a baseball coach. When he finds time to sit down and relax he enjoys playing the guitar.
Greater Berrien County Area
Find a local mortgage and home loan expert to help you in Berrien Springs, Benton Harbor, Buchanan, Dowagiac, Niles, South Haven St. Joseph, Stevensville, and all of Berrien County and Cass County.
Chad Jankoviak
Lending Area: Buchanan, Dowagiac, and Niles areas
Main Office: Niles Member Center
Email: cjankoviak@honorcu.com
Chad has been in the mortgage lending industry since 2014. Before that, he spent three years as a realtor, which helps him better understand the needs of a borrower and the challenges they may be facing. His favorite part of the process is sitting at the table signing the closing paperwork and seeing the smiling member. Chad enjoys seeing the hard work pay off as a borrower receives their house keys.
Chad is an active listener. He makes it a point to understand the challenges a member might be facing and works to solve those problems. Chad is knowledgeable in all home loan types Honor Credit Union offers and is comfortable talking about all of them.
Outside of work, Chad enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. Their family loves finding new and exciting things to do.
Nichole Kabara
Lending Area: Benton Harbor, Coloma and all of Berrien County
Main Office: Berrien Springs Member Center
Email: nkabara@honorcu.com
Nichole has been working in the mortgage and home loan industry for over nine years. She considers every day a new opportunity to help a member make one of the biggest financial decisions of their life. The most rewarding part of working with buyers is watching a young family buy their first home and celebrate at the closing table.
She considers planning to be a strength of hers when guiding buyers through the process. She wants people to feel informed and confident when making decisions about their home financing. Nichole is knowledgeable in all home loan types, but enjoys working with USDA Rural Development loans to help members who don’t have down payment funds.
Outside of work, Nichole spends a lot of time with her three kids, husband, and dog. She loves watching sports on the weekend, and taking family trips to Lake Michigan or a tropical destination.
Josh Manwarren
Lending Area: Greater Berrien Springs and Stevensville areas
Main Office: Berrien Springs Member Center
Email: jmanwarren@honorcu.com
Josh has been in the financial industry since 2017. He has a wide range of expertise, including helping teenagers that just graduated from high school start building credit, assisting people consolidate debt to lower their monthly payments, and helping members buy their dream home, or refinance their current home.
He is passionate about helping people save money and make good financial decisions. Josh prides himself on taking the time to ensure members are comfortable with every decision in the homebuying journey. “To me, it’s more than just working on home loans. It’s about being someone reliable that you can call or text anytime with questions or concerns.”
Outside of work, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. They enjoy going to the beach or doing other “girl dad” things. Disc golf is Josh’s favorite hobby, but he also enjoys football, basketball, and most other sports.
Matt Nordberg
Lending Area: Greater St. Joseph area
Main Office: St. Joseph Member Center
Email: mnordberg@honorcu.com
Facebook: Connect with Matt
Matt has seven years of experience in the mortgage lending industry. He loves getting to know members and finding a home loan product that fits their specific needs because it will ultimately help them fulfill their dream of owning a home.
Matt doesn’t shy away from long work days to find a solution for a potential borrower. He is accessible day and night during the week and on weekends to answer questions members or realtors might have. He has a degree in finance, so he is comfortable crunching numbers to help a member avoid any surprises.
He is knowledgeable in all home loan types Honor Credit Union offers. He particularly enjoys working with first-time home buyers because he enjoys seeing the excitement on their faces when they close on their first home.
Outside of work, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and family. He also loves to get out and golf whenever he has the chance.
Upper Peninsula Area
Our mortgage team is ready to help you buy a house in the greater Marquette, Negaunee, and Gwinn communities.
Adam Carpenter
Lending Area: Adam serves all of Honor’s northern communities, including Marquette, Negaunee, and Gwinn.
Main Office: Negaunee Member Center
Email: acarpenter@honorcu.com
Facebook: Connect with Adam
Adam has more than 10 years of experience in the mortgage lending industry. He has a vast knowledge of all home loan types that Honor Credit Union offers. Adam enjoys working with home buyers and helping them finance the home of their dreams.
He also enjoys working with current homeowners to evaluate their finances to potentially save them money by refinancing. Adam is organized, dependable, a good communicator, and maybe most importantly, he’s a good listener who wants to hear how he can help you purchase your dream home!
Outside of work, Adam is heavily involved in hockey. He coaches both of his sons’ teams and still plays hockey in a men’s league. He is a big family man and enjoys traveling.
Other Areas / Online Applications
Our team of mortgage experts is ready to help you buy a house no matter where you live in the state of Michigan!
Joe Daniel
Lending Area: Joe assists applicants who are looking to buy a house outside of the defined coverage areas of our other experts.
Main Office: Virtual Member Center
Email: jdaniel@honorcu.com
Joe has been working in the financial industry since 2014. He has experience in all types of lending, but has specialized in mortgage lending since 2016. Joe understands buying a house is a big deal, and the process might create some anxiety. With a positive attitude and good humor, he makes home buyers feel comfortable throughout their home buying process.
Before working in the financial world, Joe worked for two Fortune 100 companies, Whirlpool and State Farm. He was also a radio personality at one time with Rock 107 WIRX in Benton Harbor.
He is a lifelong resident of Berrien County. Outside of work, Joe likes to spend time with his family. He enjoys going to concerts, traveling, playing guitar, and trying new restaurants.
Joe is also active in the community. He is the former Vice President of the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce in Stevensville and is a former member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet.
Anton Lockett
Lending Area: Anton’s primary focus will be online applications, and he will assist with other coverage areas.
Main Office: Virtual Member Center
Email: alockett@honorcu.com
Anton has been in the financial industry for over seven years. His approach to working with members to make sure they leave with a smile on their face.
Anton is knowledgeable in all home loan types Honor Credit Union offers, whether it’s a conventional home loan, an FHA loan, RD, or portfolio loan.
Outside of work, Anton stays busy running his own business. In his free time he enjoys barbecuing. He is an avid sports fan, with his favorite teams being the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bulls, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Greg Toliver
Lending Area: Mattawan, Paw Paw, Decatur areas, as well as online applications.
Main Office: Virtual Member Center
Email: gtoliver@honorcu.com
Facebook: Connect with Greg
Greg has been in the mortgage lending industry since 2016. The thing he likes most about his job is being able to help members fulfill their dream of owning their first home or purchasing their dream home.
One of Greg’s strengths is his relentlessness to find ways to put a mortgage together for members no matter their financial situation. For borrowers who need help in the qualifying process, Greg likes to work with them to put together a list of things that will help them reach their goal of homeownership.
Greg is knowledgeable in all home loan types Honor Credit Union offers. Whether it’s a conventional home loan, an FHA loan, RD, or portfolio loan, Greg is going to work hard to find the best match for a member.
Outside of work, Greg is an active hunter, a golfer, and a baseball coach. When he finds time to sit down and relax he enjoys playing the guitar.
Jessica West
Lending Area: Jessica assists applicants who are looking to buy a house outside of the defined coverage areas of our other experts.
Main Office: Virtual Member Center
Email: jwest@honorcu.com
Jessica has been in the financial industry since 2012, and has been with Honor since 2016. Her approach to working with buyers is being a listener first and foremost because everyone’s story is different. Jessica wants to know your goals and needs before helping you decide which loan option might be best for you. She strives to educate buyers about the process, so they have the tools and knowledge to feel confident about moving forward in the buying or refinancing process.
She considers the most rewarding part of working with homebuyers is the relationships that are built. She also loves helping people achieve financial milestones, whether it’s their first house, or a refinance to save money.
Outside of work, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. She enjoys cooking, attending concerts, and giving back to her community whenever she can.
Frequently Asked Mortgage Questions
Getting pre-approved is easy! You can simply apply online. Click here to start! You can also contact a local Honor mortgage lender to set up an appointment. One of the advantages of working with Honor Credit Union for your home loan is the comfort you will feel knowing you can contact your lender directly or stop by his or her office anytime you have questions. Another advantage is that our lenders live in the markets they serve, and all decisions are made locally.
Once your offer to purchase a home has been accepted and signed, you are ready to meet with your lender to turn your pre-approval into a loan application. Please download the document below for a checklist of items that must be provided to your lender in order for them to lock in your interest rate and process your application in a timely manner.
Yes! In fact, applying to get pre-approved for a home mortgage loan is the FIRST thing you should do before you begin your search for the perfect home.
During this process, your lender will provide guidance on the best loan option to fit your situation along with an approved loan amount. Your lender will also give you a pre-approval letter, which signifies that you are a qualified buyer. You can share this letter with your realtor to include with your offer to purchase a home. Not only will your pre-approval letter add more weight to any offers you submit, but it will also guide your home search.
Mortgage interest rates fluctuate based on a variety of factors, including inflation, the pace of economic growth, and Federal Reserve policy.
Over time, inflation has the largest influence on the level of interest rates. A modest rate of inflation will almost always lead to low interest rates, while concerns about rising inflation normally cause interest rates to increase. Our nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, implements policies designed to keep inflation and interest rates relatively low and stable.
Private Mortgage Insurance, also called PMI, is a type of mortgage insurance you might be required to pay for if you have a conventional loan. Like other kinds of mortgage insurance, PMI protects the lender if you stop making payments on your loan.
PMI is usually required when you have a conventional loan and make a down payment of less than 20 percent of the home’s purchase price. If you’re refinancing with a conventional loan and your equity is less than 20 percent of the value of your home, PMI is also usually required.
An escrow account is where funds are held by the lender to make payments for your homeowners’ insurance and property taxes. Lenders will collect those funds monthly along with your loan payment and then pay the tax and insurance bills when they are due. Generally, the funds are included in your total monthly payment. Since the price of property taxes and insurances can fluctuate, so can the amount needed for your escrow account to cover those bills. Sometimes this can change your required monthly payment.
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