Even if you enjoy your actual job, the company you work for can make or break your overall satisfaction at work. Because of this, it’s important to find employers that will treat you well and provide plenty of career opportunities.
To help you with this, we’ve put together a list of ten of the best lending companies to work for in New Jersey, in no particular order.
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Lakeland Bank
10 of the Best Lending Companies to Work for in New Jersey
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Based in Pine Brook, New Jersey, Stratton Equities serves real estate investors across the country. The company offers a variety of loans to help its clients invest in private and commercial real estate, whether they want to simply buy a property or fix and flip it.
Stratton Equities is a small company with under 50 employees, and those who work there speak highly of the organization’s leadership, culture, and compensation. They also say they were able to grow professionally while at the company, with their superiors giving them the training and support they needed to succeed.
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Based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, PHH Mortgage offers a variety of home loans to its clients, offering advice and resources for home buyers, real estate investors, and those looking to refinance their current mortgages.
PHH Mortgage employees say that the company is supportive and provides excellent training. Thanks to the training and the company having locations in multiple states, employees also enjoy plenty of opportunities to move into other roles within the organization.
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Based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Jersey Community Capital’s mission is to invest in initiatives to help communities throughout the state grow stronger economically. The company offers loans for affordable housing, education, small businesses, and other economic development projects in its community.
As a result, New Jersey Community Capital is an excellent place for people who want to impact their community for the better through their work. Current and past employees also speak highly of the company’s culture and leadership.
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This Cherry Hill, New Jersey, company offers competitive home loans to its clients across New Jersey, as well as ten other states. As a small, local organization, Garden State Home Loans offers quick response times and upfront communication to its customers seven days a week.
As far as working at Garden State Home Loans goes, employees have plenty of positive things to say about the company’s leadership, culture, work-life balance, and benefits.
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Jersey Mortgage Company is headquartered in Cranford, New Jersey, and offers a variety of mortgages, refinancing options, and other home-related loans. Their mission is to make the lending process as streamlined and simple as possible for customers, so they do everything in-house.
Employees of Jersey Mortgage Company speak well of the good work-life balance they experience, as well as the professional development opportunities and support they receive from company leadership.
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HomeBridge Financial Services is a private home lender based in Iselin, New Jersey. HomeBridge is a large company, with about 3,000 employees and 250 branch locations across the country.
HomeBridge’s employees say the company is well-organized, has good management, and offers plenty of training, professional development, and growth opportunities.
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Based in Bayonne, New Jersey, BCB Banke offers a variety of banking services, including home, auto, and business loans. BCB Bank is a local company, only operating in New Jersey and New York.
As a small organization, BCB Bank doesn’t necessarily have a lot of opportunities for employees to move up quickly, but workers say they do enjoy feeling appreciated and supported by their superiors.
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Headquartered in Toms River, New Jersey, OceanFirst Bank has locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and Massachusetts. OceanFirst is a full-service bank that provides both personal and business loans to its clients.
Employees speak highly of the benefits, pay, and company culture, especially at the OceanFirst headquarters. They also say they feel appreciated and supported by their managers.
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Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bank is a community bank that offers personal and business loans from its headquarters in Oak Ridge, New Jersey, and its branch locations across the state. It even offers small home improvement loans that don’t require any equity or collateral, allowing its customers to create the homes of their dreams with ease.
Lakeland employees enjoy this organization’s laid-back, small-business atmosphere, its overall culture, and the pay they receive for their work.
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A full-service bank based in Fairfield, New Jersey, Kearny Bank offers personal and business loans to its clients in New Jersey and New York. From mortgages to real estate and construction loans, employees at Kearny Bank have the opportunity to do it all.
Employees also enjoy a good work-life balance at Kearny, citing plenty of flexibility and understanding from management as well as good benefits and a positive work environment.
What to Look for in a Lending Company in New Jersey
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Location
When you’re looking for a lending company to work for in New Jersey, note how far you’ll have to drive every day to get to work. Having a reasonable commute is vital to a good work-life balance, so pay attention to this as you search for jobs.
In addition, you should also note how many branch locations the company has and where they are, as having multiple branches can offer a variety of travel and transfer opportunities.
If you want the opportunity to travel or move to a new state, this could be a good thing for you. If you don’t, however, it may be a major downside. Either way, ask what the expectations are as far as travel before you accept a job offer, as well as how regularly employees transfer from one location to another.
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Size
Large companies bring different pros and cons than small companies do. For example, large lending companies often offer more opportunities for advancement than small ones do, while smaller, local organizations will offer more personalized interactions with both your clients and your managers.
Neither one is necessarily better, it just depends on what your goals and ideal work environment are. Whichever way you lean, company size is an important factor to pay attention to when you’re looking for a lending job.
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Leadership
Before you sign on to work at a lending company, do some research on the company’s leadership. Do employees generally like them? Do they feel like leadership is taking the company in a good direction? Or do they feel like leaders are impersonal and opaque?
The loan industry is already filled with a significant number of ups and downs, so finding a leader to work for who will be wise and as transparent as possible with their decisions is a good idea.
Don’t just pay attention to the CEO, though – ask lots of questions about your potential manager’s leadership style and goals before you take a position so that you don’t end up on a team that isn’t a good fit for you.
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Training
Some lending companies are better than others at training their employees, and this can have a huge impact on your confidence at work, as well as your ability to expand your skill set.
When you work at a lending company, you often have to do highly detailed, regulated tasks that carry significant consequences. As a result, you don’t want to be thrown into the deep end without proper training, as that will not only cause you more stress but could also increase your and the company’s liability.
When you’re considering a company, talk to current or past employees about what the training looked like, or look it up on some public forums. Not every organization will be perfect, but in an industry with many complicated rules and regulations, it’s important to find an employer that works hard to provide good training.
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Culture
Look for a lending company that not has a healthy culture, but also has a culture that you fit well with. During your interview, ask lots of questions about company culture and management’s expectations, and pay attention to the overall vibe as you meet people and tour facilities.
Remember to note what you value in workplace culture as well and look for an organization that matches that. While factors like work-life balance and support are generally universally sought-after, others are dependent on individual preference.
For example, some people thrive in fast-moving, high-pressure settings, while others prefer a more predictable, laid-back environment. As a result, both will be drawn to different types of company cultures.
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Career Opportunities
Lending companies can have a variety of career opportunities available, but some smaller ones may have minimal room for advancement.
If you’re someone who is generally content to work in the same job for a long time or are just looking to start your career, this isn’t necessarily a problem. If you’re trying to move up the ladder quickly, however, look for a larger organization with plenty of opportunities for vertical and lateral movement.
Author
Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.
