Bill Townsend Joins INB Lending Team

11/4/2020

Bill Townsend grew up in banking. As a teenager, he worked as a proof operator, then a bank teller.He studied finance in college, and that led to his now 20-plus-year career in mortgage banking. He’s spent seven of those years as a mortgage lender and continues in that role for INB. Bill serves customers in the Bloomington and Springfield areas.

With his experience, you can definitely call him a home loan expert. Being an expert means sometimes giving people a reality check. 

“I always ask them to consider, ‘Can you really afford it?’ When you buy a house you have to buy all kinds of stuff.  A lawn mower and a ladder. Curtains and a vacuum cleaner. That’s $100 bucks here and another there.  They add up.  I also caution everyone not to overbuy.  You don’t want to be house poor.”

Bill takes great satisfaction in meeting one-on-one with people, but believes in using whatever means a customer prefers. INB offers a robust, digital application for everyone to use to get the home loan process started. But a lender stands behind each online application, meaning there’s a mortgage lender to help customers every step of the way in the home-buying process. Add in tools like email and text messaging, and Bill and his colleagues can make sure things stay on track from start to finish.

Many of Bill’s customers apply for government-backed loans; Government lending is a specialty for Bill.  “I was an underwriter and know those programs very well. You have to pay a lot of attention to the details. I know how to structure loans and submit them. I know what documentation is necessary.  I see problems before they arise.” 

Bill and his wife have two children. He loves sports, and served as a baseball and soccer coach when his kids were young.  He was a member of the Auburn (Ill.) Soccer Association board for many years. Now that his kids are older, he has more time for riding his bike, reading and vacationing in his favorite spot, Destin, FL.