Chatham Street Mortgage Services

Top financial planners, attorneys, accountants, and real estate agents recommend Chatham Street Mortgage Services because the firm is uncompromisingly committed to obtaining the best possible financing for its clients’ homes. Chatham Street doesn’t cold call or advertise. One hundred percent of its business comes from referrals from satisfied clients and from business and finance professionals, who are highly selective about whom they trust with their clients.

One reason professionals recommend Chatham Street is its outstanding service. For loans that are relatively easy to finance, all mortgage brokers have access to the same rates from the same lenders. The difference is delivering service, not just promising it. Chatham Street guides its clients through each step of the process. Trusted by lenders to handle final document signings, Joe Chatham and his associates meet clients for applications and closings whenever and wherever it’s convenient: in their homes, their offices, or even at 6:00a.m. on the golf course or in another city when a client is on a business trip.

Chatham Street signs and notarizes loan documents at no charge. Their messengers pick up and deliver documents, again free to clients. They use the latest computer technology to create and print documents in-house, saving clients time and money.

Because of their knowledge, experience, and relationships, Chatham Street agents can often get loan approval — with reasonable rates and points — despite daunting circumstances. One client had four recent foreclosures and a bankruptcy, but Chatham Street helped him buy a second property in Palm Springs. The firm arranges difficult, complex loans — often loans that others have rejected.

In most cases, if Chatham Street cannot finance a loan, nobody can. But the firm will not seek loan approval if it appears to put the client in a precarious position. The firm is not in "the foreclosure business." Chatham Street is in business to help people own homes and benefit from the equity in their homes.

Sometimes clients come to Chatham Street and say they have a better quote. They will often hear this response: "If you can really get that, run to your car, drive down there, and sign. But if the other party can’t get the deal done, don’t lose the financing. Call us and we’ll do everything we can to bail you out."

Chatham Street people keep their word, even if it means losing money on a loan. One example: A Chatham Street associate forgot to disclose an add-on to a loan fee for a non-owner-occupied investment property. The accidentally omitted difference was $1,084. Chatham Street wrote a check to the customer for that amount so he could close the loan.
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Joe Chatham: "Your mortgage is a financial tool"

Joe Chatham’s vision inspires Chatham Street to serve clients with excellence and integrity. After graduating from Pitzer, one of the Claremont Colleges, in 1989, Chatham worked for Household Finance Corp. (HFC) as an account executive and branch sales manager. In both positions, he was among HFC’s top national producers. Chatham joined Campbell Financial Services in Riverside, where he was also a top producer. He then became a stockbroker with Paine Webber and Prudential Securities. That experience confirmed his view that a mortgage should be seen as one of the tools in a client’s overall financial plan, in addition to its role in purchasing a house and getting a tax deduction. (This holistic approach is another reason why financial professionals prefer working with Chatham Street.) Chatham returned to Campbell as a partner and opened their Westlake branch. He then launched Chatham Street Mortgage Services. Joe Chatham is active in Pitzer College’s alumni association and is a voracious reader.