Rod Beckham, who grew up in Fort Smith, leads the mortgage division of First Financial Bank. He earned a bachelor’s of business administration degree in marketing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1990. After college, Beckham started in sales at May Supply Co. and began his mortgage career at First Financial Bank in 1993 as a mortgage loan originator. Shortly after, he was named Little Rock manager and was promoted to lead the mortgage division in 2008.
Secondary market loan originations at First Financial Bank reached a record $175 million last year.
What attracted you to mortgage lending?
A close friend had been a mortgage loan originator for a short while, and the job looked to be in my wheelhouse. Buying a home is a pretty big deal to most, and being a part of that process certainly appealed to me.
Give an overview of First Financial’s mortgage lending operation: How many staffers work at how many offices, etc.?
FFB’s Little Rock mortgage loan production office opened in 1984. We also operate mortgage loan production offices in Jonesboro, Fort Smith, Conway, Heber Springs and Fayetteville, in addition to our Arkansas retail bank locations in El Dorado, Wynne and Mena and in Senatobia and Carthage, Mississippi. Total mortgage dedicated staffers stand at 19.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy working with our staff to get loans closed on time. That’s what we do best.
What’s hot and what’s not in mortgage lending?
The residential real estate market is hot, and so if buyers can find a house, these all-time low, fixed-rate mortgages offer a golden opportunity. The same can be said for refinancing an existing mortgage. Adjustable rate loans — not so hot.
What challenges have confronted your division during the pandemic?
Originating loans with very little face-to-face contact has certainly been a change. Loan production has been high in the wake of COVID, and that has challenged our personnel to work smarter and faster to meet closing deadlines. I have been most impressed by their attitude and efforts.
What’s the best advice you ever received?
I have had similar advice from several people, but it was best said by Dicky Fox in “Jerry Maguire”: “The key to this business is personal relationships.” I could have gone with “Roll with the punches. Tomorrow is another day,” also Dicky Fox.
Mistakes are said to deliver some of the most meaningful lessons. What is your most important mistake that helped shape your career?
I left for another bank early on, but only for half a day. Hat in hand, I found my boss at lunch and was back at FFB that afternoon. The grass is not always greener.
Who are your mentors, people who made a difference in your life?
My father taught me to be a good problem-solver, and that has always served me well. I had the opportunity to work with my sister, Sherry Holden, for 16 years, and that meant the world to me. There is little doubt that Terry Landrum has been my greatest mentor. Terry was in the mortgage insurance business and is well known to most in the industry. He helped me to better understand the business, made countless introductions and taught me what it takes to succeed.
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