Hands-on with every client, Russell O’Dowd, a loan originator at Guaranteed Rate Mortgage, closed upward of $165 million in business last year and is proud to have personally originated each loan. “I worked with every client, taking each loan from start to finish,” he says. “I took the time to understand their needs and fully explain the pros and cons of their various options.”

It’s an approach that resonates with clients and real estate professionals: His business is based entirely on referrals. After 18 years in lending, it’s difficult to imagine that he had a previous career, but he did. Beginning at the age of 20, O’Dowd was a Massachusetts State Police officer and a “small-time” real estate investor.

“I worked both jobs for seven years before retiring from the State Police and focusing solely on lending,” he says. O’Dowd was first introduced to lending by his CPA, who also worked as a mortgage originator. Like O’Dowd, he, too, was a small-time real estate investor and someone who understood the financing process well. “He encouraged me to explore joining the business and ended up hiring me in my first role at First Horizon Home Loans,” O’Dowd says.

Every day, it gives him a sense of pride to see the exceptional team he put together make the loan process seem easy and hassle-free for all of his clients. The only loan originator on his team, O’Dowd has consistently been recognized among the top 1% of originators in the U.S. by Mortgage Executive Magazine and Scotsman’s Guide. He is also a member of

Guaranteed Rate’s President’s Club and Chairman’s Circle.

Outside of work, O’Dowd is proud to watch his three daughters advance in their careers and begin making real estate investments of their own.

Guaranteed Rate, Inc. is a private corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. It has no affiliation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any other government agency.