Known for treating all of his clients like family, Ardit Kotoni, vice president and senior mortgage planner of MSA Mortgage LLC, has a total of 19 years in the mortgage lending industry — 17 in operations and two in sales. An accomplished underwriter, Kotoni decided to take the leap into loan originating in 2020 by generating word-of-mouth business.

Originally from Albania, Kotoni finds his main customer base to be the Albanian community of Greater Boston. He takes pride in helping clients build credit while actually helping them understand the detailed and daunting mortgage process. “A good portion of my buyers are new to the country,” he says. “They need an introduction to building credit, managing assets and choosing employment types that make it easier to qualify. It’s a lengthy process that not only prepares them to qualify for a mortgage, but also makes integration into the U.S. easier.”

Despite the fact that 2022 was only Kotoni’s second full year as a loan originator, he finished with just under $85 million in total loan volume across 170 loans.

“I enjoy helping people,” Kotoni declares.“I find it very rewarding to be able to help someone who maybe doesn’t have the perfect credit score or income figured out and show them how they can qualify for a loan.”

Kotoni is an active supporter of the Massachusetts Albanian American Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the well-being and progress of the Albanian-American community in the state. He’s also one of the primary contributors to Eagles Soccer Academy, a soccer program for young children.