Zach Bates, Cincinnati mortgage loan originator — a real family behind every loan.

I didn’t start in mortgages. I started in business.

Before I ever wrote a loan, I co-founded a clothing brand, ran delivery and logistics work, and built things in digital media — my degree from Cal State Northridge is in Emerging Media Production, not finance. That path taught me two things a loan officer can’t learn from a training manual: what it feels like to live on self-employed income, and what it takes to rebuild your credit when it’s been knocked down. I’ve done both. So when a buyer tells me their tax return doesn’t look like their real income, or that their score isn’t where they want it yet, I’m not judging. I’m already thinking about which program says yes.

Why I do this

I don’t look at a mortgage as a transaction. A home is where birthdays get celebrated, where traditions get made, where families grow — and helping someone get the keys to that is a privilege I don’t take lightly. My job is making sure you understand your options, feel comfortable asking every question, and know exactly what to expect before it happens. Plain English, no jargon, no surprises in week three.

I’m also not a 9-to-5 loan officer. Questions about a house don’t only come up during business hours — they come up at 8pm on a Saturday when you’ve just walked through the one you love. Call or text and you get me, not a call center. If I don’t have the answer immediately, I’ll find it rather than make one up.

Resourceful by habit

I’m the guy who found a way to earn rewards on his own housing payments instead of accepting that they’re just money out the door. That’s how I approach a file too: seller credits, temporary rate buydowns, Ohio down payment assistance, the right lender for an unusual income story — there’s usually a better structure than the obvious one, and I go looking for it.

What’s behind me

I originate through Coast 2 Coast Mortgage (NMLS #376205), a wholesale lending platform that shops your file across many lenders instead of one bank’s rate sheet. That’s a big part of why my closings average about 13 days: a complete file up front, honest expectations, and a processing team that moves. I’m licensed in Ohio and California, based in Cincinnati, and lending from Columbus and Cleveland to Los Angeles and San Diego.

• Coast 2 Coast Mortgage — NMLS #376205, wholesale lending platform
• Licensed in Ohio & California — NMLS #2687902 · verify on NMLS Consumer Access
• California State University, Northridge — Emerging Media Production
• Based in Cincinnati, Ohio — home-based, available nights and weekends

— Zach Bates