"Juntos Podemos"-GMAC Mortgage And The Hispanic Community Make Homeownership Dreams A Reality
FOR RELEASE: August 14, 2001"Juntos Podemos"-GMAC Mortgage And The Hispanic Community Make Homeownership Dreams A Reality
HORSHAM, PA. -GMAC Mortgage Corporation is dedicated to providing its Spanish-speaking customers with the same high level of quality service and customer focus as its English-speaking customers. The company promotes its various mortgage products and services to the Hispanic Community through ongoing initiatives and continuous education. GMAC Mortgage has made notable strides in an area of considerable importance to the company, developing its Hispanic platform-"Juntos Podemos" (Together We Can).
"It is imperative that we place the needs of our customers first," says Sam Levine, senior vice president of Retail Lending. "Homebuyer education has always been one of our cornerstones to meeting those needs. In the past, we have had a number of localized projects designed to assist Hispanic customers through the mortgage process. The Juntos Podemos program has allowed us to evolve the best aspects of these local efforts into a national focus on providing the Hispanic customer with the highest levels of service possible. "
Buying a home can seem very complicated for a first-time homebuyer or for someone whose native language is not English. Non-native speakers are faced with the unfamiliarity of mortgage terminology and the mortgage process in general in the United States. Because GMAC Mortgage recognizes the importance of financial literacy in regards to the mortgage process, it focuses on developing educational and sales materials in Spanish. "We want our customers to have access to information that can help them make informed decisions when purchasing a home," says Heather Anderson, regional business development manager for GMAC Mortgage.
Additionally, various sales support materials have been developed exclusively for the Hispanic community in Spanish. Literature and brochures address various products offered, homeownership education, mortgage process information and Hispanic community outreach.
GMAC Mortgage also offers home-buying seminars created specifically for the Hispanic community that address many of the obstacles and how to prepare for homeownership. "Education is one of the most important components in increasing homeownership among Hispanics throughout the United States," says Alberto Fernandez, district manager, GMAC Mortgage. Fernandez has established a Homeownership Resource Center in Jersey City, N.J., that allows potential homeowners the opportunity to connect with real estate agents, loan officers, and other professionals from the housing industry to ask questions. It also offers access to numerous articles and bilingual publications that speak to a wide range of issues that a first-time homebuyer may face. Along with all of the educational pieces that GMAC Mortgage offers, it boasts more than 75 bilingual sales representatives across the nation, over 50 loan servicing representatives, as well as other bilingual mortgage experts in various departments to facilitate the mortgage transaction.
Once a loan is entered into GMAC Mortgage's system, a Spanish-speaking customer does not have to worry that he will have challenges due to language barriers if questions arise about a new mortgage. The GMAC Mortgage Loan Servicing Center is fully staffed with bilingual representatives and supervisors who are plugged into the Spanish calling queue to assist customers. "All bilingual employees are tested and certified through a bilingual efficiency process that was developed in conjunction with the University of Northern Iowa Modern Language's Department to ensure the most professional communications available," says Jason Stover, bilingual team leader. Voice mail messages are scripted in both Spanish and English. Non-Spanish speaking customer service representatives are given cue cards to effectively transfer Spanish speaking customers without all of the confusion resulting from language gaps. Pay-by-phone services and services for the hearing-impaired are even available in Spanish.
"GMAC Mortgage is proud to be at the service of the Hispanic community and prides itself on easing the transition from renting to the most positive homeownership experience for its customers, "Juntos Podemos" is the embodiment of that philosophy," says Arthur Fleming, senior vice president, GMAC Mortgage.
About GMAC Mortgage
GMAC Mortgage Corporation, headquartered in Horsham, Pa., originates first and second lien residential mortgage loans through a nationwide network of retail offices, direct lending centers and internet sites under the brands gmacmortgage.com and ditech.com, and GM Family First - a custom mortgage services program offered to GM employees, retirees and dealers. As of Dec. 31, 2000, GMAC Mortgage originated $16.8 billion in residential mortgages, representing more than 195,000 transactions. The company's servicing portfolio of more than $164 billion represents 2 million customers throughout the nation.