About Us
Family Funding ……It’s all in the Name. Our company name was carefully chosen to represent who we are and what we do. We are a Family working together to achieve the goal of helping people achieve the dream of homeownership by funding mortgage loans for our friends and clients.
The Pillars of our family, Gary and Ellen Clouse were both born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Yes, It’s true…Midwestern Roots. They were high school sweethearts and married in 1965. Soon after, they had their children, Kari and Guy who were also products of the Midwest upbringing.
In 1988, the move to California was a dream come true for Ellen. The Family who plays together, stays together, so…we all came to California to work together.
Family Funding came to life in 1993 when Gary and Ellen began originating and processing mortgage loans in Santa Maria, California. With a couple of fabulous additions to our family, Guy’s wife, Cyndi and their daughter, Skyelar, it is truly a family affair. Almost 18years later…through many hills and valleys, we’ve grown, adapted, and we’re still here.
Meet Gary (Lic # 01153413 / NMLS # 324138)
Gary Clouse is the Sales and Marketing specialist for our family. His history in sales and marketing is extensive with over 20 years in the Radio Broadcast Industry as a Salesman, General Manager and then Turn-Around expert.
His transition to the Real Estate lending industry, came when he decided he wanted to settle in one place. In 1993 Gary and Ellen moved to Benicia, CA and Family Funding was born.
Gary is a past board member of Volunteers of America Bay Area, Inc (a national non profit organization) and also currently serves on several local and regional Non-Profit organizations in Northern California.
Meet Ellen (Lic # 01153412 / NMLS # 277633)
Ellen is the Glue. She is our Closing Manager. She makes sure the loans get through the final phase and gets to share the good news with our clients. She is also a Certified Senior Advisor with her originations focused on the Reverse Mortgage. And she is a mortgage broker having extended her education to further service our clients. Ellen comes from a family of 10, so… she’s skilled at navigating the land mines sometimes found in the process and meeting the deadlines related to purchase contract negotiations.
Meet Guy (Lic # 01143453 / NMLS # 190747)
Guy is our Processing Manager amongst other roles as an Originator and a past Real Estate Sales agent. He is also a Real Estate Broker proving his commitment to this industry. His experience is vast which makes him well equipped to handle all facets of our business.
Guy began his career in real estate by taking a frontline position processing loan files and enabling a lender to obtain their FHA approval by submitting Test Cases direct to US Department of Housing. Needless to say, quality was key. Processing lead to originations and then… a national non-profit, hired Guy to develop and manage their Affordable Housing Program in partnership with FHA/HUD which supported low income families in attaining their dreams of Home Ownership. Guy’s expertise with the FHA 203k rehab program, his knowledge of residential construction, and experience with real estate legal details further increased his knowledge and value.
As the Real Estate climate changed Guy transitioned to the Real Estate Sales side of the industry. Guy is one of few real estate agents who takes the time to explain every bit of the contract and the evolution of the real estate transaction. His attention to detail allows buyers and sellers alike to feel taken care of —in good hands.
The ever changing world of real estate has once again shifted so that Guy currently is our Processing manager managing loan transactions for our office as well as about 20 other quality loan originators. He and Ellen make sure the transactions get from Beginning to End with SUCCESS.
Meet Cyndi (Lic # 01255066 / NMLS # 286997)
Cyndi is our Administrator, Graphic Designer She handles all the technical details behind the scenes. Having been married to Guy for almost 20years, she has a similar path of experience.
Cyndi has been the processor, the originator and is currently working on the real estate sales side of things with Hamann Real Estate. She is currently working on a project as a lead developer in a paperless mortgage environment with leading bank. Imagine that—a paperless mortgage loan?
Meet Kari (Lic # 01255067 / NMLS # 330941)
Kari, is our Corporate Advisor who contributes her expertise in areas of Loan processing, originating and underwriting. Kari had been the processor and in-house underwriter for our company for over 15years. The past few years, she has chosen to further enhance her expertise by obtaining her FHA and VA delegated underwriting designations. This comes direct from the Federal Housing Administration and Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The achievement has been substantial. She has been underwriting in the most difficult mortgage environment in history. So she knows what and how to help a borrower get the financing for their homes and dreams. Her experience allows us as a family to benefit through her wisdom.
Kari’s experience and attention to details has lead her to a new role allowing her to develop procedures for quality assurance for a large banking operation.
She will continue to support us and will also be an educator for others in our industry.
The Business . . .
The past few years in this industry have been the most difficult for the mortgage industry. It has affected our world with the economic downturn. However, with new licensing laws and education requirements, we feel that those who are dedicated to this business and to their customers will succeed and thrive. Having made it through the past few years, we think that says a lot about who we are, how we’ve done business and how hard we work to make things happen for our family, as well as many others. The Clouse family is ever expanding with family and friends we have helped, and will always have room for more. We hope you’ll give us an opportunity to work with you.
