Business of the Week – Universal Lending Corporation – Cathy Smotherman-Erickson

You help your community thrive when you shop locally!

Be sure to read The Prowers Journal each week when the Lamar Chamber of Commerce and The Prowers Journal highlight a featured Business of the Week.

This week we are proud to spotlight Universal Lending Corp. – Cathy Smotherman-Erickson, located at 312 S. 5th Street in Lamar. Call her at: 719.336.4430.

Cathy Smotherman-Erickson started her mortgage company lending career in 1982 as a loan processor for Heritage Savings and Loan, working her way up to mortgage and consumer loan officer. In 1990, she transferred to State Bank of Wiley/Legacy Bank for 21 years. She worked her way to branch president in Lamar, building a large following of loyal customers all over the state.

During the earlier years of her career, Cathy graduated from Western States College of Bank Management from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has also served on the Colorado Housing and Finance Advisory Board and was chosen Eagle Award Winner for the State of Colorado in 1999.

In December, 2010, with the input from family, Cathy decided to start her own business as a mortgage loan originator. She is licensed with NMLS, the State of Colorado and the State of Kansas to provide loans to purchase or refinance homes in both states.

Starting March of 2012, Cathy went to work for Universal Lending Corporation, a Colorado based organization. With all of the new rules in banking and the mortgage lending arena, she is very proud to work with seven banks in the southeast corner of Colorado and southwest Kansas, as most small banks don’t have the expertise to keep up with all of the new legislation.

Universal Lending was such an easy fit for Cathy with the work ethics, dependability, knowledge and personal involvement in each customer that has come into her office. Having a personal relationship with the head office enables the best possible service in a very trying industry. Underwriters try to find ways to make loans work, instead of trying to turn them down. This is such a positive arm in getting loans closed in today’s market.

The type of loans that Universal offer are Conventional, FHA, VA, and RD Guaranteed. We have various options available to the customer with the lowest interest rates in the past 30 years for refinancing present loans and the purchase of a new home.

Cathy tells us it could possibly be as cheap to purchase your own home as it is to pay rent payments with the low rates. She invites anyone with questions to call or stop by her office, located at 313 S 5th, Suite 2, in Lamar. Her office is located across the street, east of the post office. The office phone number is 719-336-4430.

Have a comparison done of your present rate versus a lower rate and the closing fees to see if it is cost effective. If Cathy can’t save you money, you can rely on her many years of judgment and experience to say, keep what you have. If you have credit issues, she has helped dozens of families get their credit built up and able to purchase a home. Just learning the entire mortgage process is a major endeavor itself, and working with someone that has experience and patience makes the whole process easier.

Cathy Smotherman-Erickson married Victor Erickson three years ago, but she is known by “Cathy” or “Cathy Smotherman”. “My husband kidded one of my clients and said he may have to change his last name instead of me changing mine, so therefore I just use both names,” she said.

“I want to say thank you to all of my past and future customers for their loyalty and a special thank you to The Prowers Journal and Lamar Chamber of Commerce, the local banks and realtors, for all of the help they have provided me in getting a new business off the ground. I would not have the success I have been blessed with if I didn’t have the community support.”