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Executive Management Team in Whetstone, SC

Executive Management Team in Whetstone, SC


 

 

Chuck Tonkin II and Chrissi Rhea have always shared the same vision for what the homebuying experience should be. They believed loan officers needed resources, technology and support to be able to offer the best home-financing solutions to borrowers. They recognized that each borrower had distinctive goals, and they understood the importance of delivering on the promises they made. They founded Mortgage Investors Group in 1989 with those goals in mind. Their blend of business savvy and the desire to always do the right thing for their customers and employees has helped them cultivate relationships with borrowers, Realtors, investors and colleagues that have made MIG the leader it is today in the mortgage lending industry.

Christine Rhea

Christine (Chrissi) C. Rhea

CEO & Co-Founder

Chrissi has shaped MIG’s reputation for offering quality loan products at competitive prices. Through innovative thinking and team development, she tends to the daily operations of the firm’s retail branch network and its Correspondent Lending division. She manages every aspect of the business from loan origination to closing and program marketing and development. She also handles investor relations and oversees the company’s warehouse lines. Chrissi learned the mortgage lending business from the ground up, beginning her career as a loan officer in the early 1980s. She met Chuck early in her career and the two worked for the same mortgage lender until deciding to establish MIG in 1989. She has been a featured speaker and moderator at conferences hosted by the Mortgage Bankers Association. She has also championed MIG’s volunteer efforts in the communities in which they live and work.

Charles (Chuck) E. Tonkin, II

Charles (Chuck) E. Tonkin, II

President & Co-Founder

Chuck’s keen eye for business opportunities has directed MIG’s growth over the past two decades. Whenever he sees an opportunity to partner with respected colleagues and reach new clients, he has led MIG into new markets. He also oversees sales within the firm’s retail branch network and Direct Lending division, strategizing with company leaders to reach goals within those operations. Chuck cut his teeth in the savings and loan industry in Florida, where he served as a loan officer and branch manager in the 1970s. After some time as a commercial mortgage broker and custom-home builder, he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, and met Chrissi. They worked together as loan officers for the same mortgage lending company until founding MIG in 1989. Each time MIG has opened or remodeled an office, Chuck has revisited his penchant for designing spaces, often drawing up the plans himself.

Kevin Rhea

Kevin Rhea

Executive Vice President, Business Development/Digital Lending

As senior vice president, director of business development, Kevin helps the executive management team develop the vision for MIG's future. He also manages the marketing and branding of MIG, including the development of their social media strategy and radio campaign. Kevin joined MIG in 2001 as a loan officer assistant and quickly moved into the role of loan officer, where his accomplishments in closing loans were recognized by the Knoxville Mortgage Bankers Association (KMBA). MIG promoted him to business strategy coordinator in 2011. Kevin is a past president and board member of the KMBA. He also hosts “The Housing Hour,” a locally produced radio show focusing on housing trends that is sponsored by MIG. You can learn more about the show at www.thehousinghour.com. He may be reached at 865-691-8910 or Kevin.Rhea@migonline.com.

John Burns

John Burns

Director | Correspondent Lending Division

John Burns joined MIG in January 1998. John’s experience includes more than 20 years of outside sales and management. He manages all aspects of sales and production for the Direct Lending division. Direct Lending’s focus is the secondary market lending needs of community banks and credit unions. John’s responsibilities include staffing, product development, marketing, training, recruitment, and market expansion. In addition, John is a past president of the Knoxville Mortgage Bankers Association and has served as the East Tennessee advisory director for the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Association.

Sharon Rivers

Sharon Rivers

Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

Sharon has managed MIG’s closing operations since the company opened its doors in 1989. Relying on her experience as a loan processor and closer in the banking industry, she created MIG’s closing division from the ground up. She has also overseen MIG’s post-closing operations since 2006, handling warehouse lending, document imaging, electronic mortgage registrations, loan audits and government insuring. Her focus on staff training and team empowerment ensures a timely and worry-free closing experience for MIG’s clients. By using state-of-the-art technology and cultivating valued relationships with title companies, investors and warehouse banks, Sharon has helped MIG become an industry leader when it comes to closing loans quickly and efficiently. 

Cathy Neubert

Cathy Neubert

Senior Vice President, Director of Operations

As senior vice president director of operations, Cathy leads both the underwriting and compliance teams for MIG. She collaborates with MIG’s experienced in-house underwriters to position the company to be able to offer customers a broad variety of loan programs that meet the local market’s housing-finance needs. She also works with the firm’s mortgage loan originators, branch managers and other leaders to make sure they stay current with federal and state compliance guidelines regulating the mortgage-lending industry. Cathy joined MIG in 2012 as vice president assistant director of operations before being promoted in February 2013 to her current role. In her 40-year career, she has gained first-hand experience in nearly every aspect of the home finance industry, including mortgage loan processing and originating, loan closings, underwriting and compliance. She also served as president of a title company while holding a title agent’s license. She is a past president of the Knoxville Mortgage Bankers Association and the Tennessee Mortgage Bankers Association. In addition, she served as chair of the TMBA’s Educational Trust Fund.

JR Huber

JR Huber

Executive Vice President, Sales & Production

J.R. joined MIG in 2016 to support and manage all aspects of retail sales and production. He started in Mortgage in 1996 and has held roles in various aspects of mortgage production, management, and executive leadership with Banks and Independent Mortgage Companies. J.R. works with the MIG Origination and Processing teams to ensure clients close on time with a “best in class” experience. He is responsible for leading growth in the changing mortgage-industry landscape. Upon moving to TN in 2016, he has held leadership positions with Knoxville Mortgage Bankers Association, TNMBA, Knoxville Business Association, and the Salvation Army. J.R. lives in Knoxville and enjoys common interests in boating, running, hiking, soccer, and golf with his twin daughters that will be graduating Bearden High School in Spring 2023.

Gary Royal

Gary Royal

Senior Vice President, Retail Sales & Production

Gary oversees the growth of MIG’s retail presence in new markets across the Southeastern part of the country. His hands-on approach to cultivating relationships with mortgage professionals across the region stems from the more than 30 years of industry experience he brought to MIG in February 2019. In addition to originating loans as a retail loan officer, he has been a correspondent lender and also served as a national retail sales manager over the course of his career. He supports and guides the professional development of loan officers and mortgage leaders so they can champion MIG’s customer-focused culture and build successful businesses. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, he focuses on bringing MIG’s loan-officer-centric model to target markets in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. 

Dianne Rymer

Dianne Rymer

Senior Vice President of Product Development and Risk Management

With a career spanning over 37 years in the mortgage industry, Dianne brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her current role as Senior Vice President of Product Development and Risk Management at Mortgage Investors Group. Her responsibilities include spearheading the introduction of new products and ensuring that our company stays ahead of the curve by staying updated on evolving agency guidelines related to credit, collateral, and procedures. Having worked in various roles since Dianne’s journey began in 1986, she has gained a unique perspective on the entire loan process, from origination to underwriting and closing.

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Mortgage Investors Group, based in Tennessee, offers residential financing in a number of states in the southeast, See MIG Service Areas. Terms and conditions to apply to home financing. We want to share with you the loan terms vary based on several characteristics and your financial profile. These include but are not limited to loan program, loan purpose, occupancy, credit history, credit score, assets, and other criteria per loan type. The repayment terms and interest rate may vary from time to time. The terms represented here are based on certain assumptions outlined below and/or noted on the loan outline page. Additional details concerning privacy, program disclosures, licensing specifics may be found at migonline.com Legal Information.

MIG Loan Officers will help gather the information needed for an individual assessment to provide home financing which matches the loan characteristics with your home financing needs based on your financial profile, when you are ready to begin a full loan application. For estimates and general information before that step, the basis for which the mortgage financing information are as follows:
  • Rates are subject to change at any time.
  • Rate locks are available at current terms for 30 to 180 days based on program type, credit profile, property location, etc. which will affect the available rate and term.
  • Payments will vary based on program selection, current rates, property location, etc.
  • Not all programs are available in all states.
  • Some loan programs may not be available to first time home buyers.
  • Terms and conditions apply, which may include restrictions or limits per loan program.
  • Information is generally based on primary residence occupancy with no cash out when refinancing.
  • Unless otherwise stated, terms shown are estimates based in part on credit score of 700 or higher; owner occupancy, escrow account is established for taxes and insurance(s); debt-to-income ratio no higher than 43.0%; PMI applies to conventional loan programs over 80.0% LTV; VA,FHA & RD require insuring fees included in loan and/or payment; fixed rate, 30 year term.

An MIG Loan Officer is available to help with your financial details to determine which characteristics apply to your situation for a personalized look into which loan program best fits your home financing needs. Please use the Find a Loan Officer link or reach out to Mortgage Investors Group at 800-489-8910. Equal Housing Lender 1.2020