Consistency: Chris Devin’s Key to Mortgage Success

Bridget: Welcome back to CCM Talks. I am Bridget Linton, and today I am joined by Divisional Senior Vice President Chris Devin. Chris, thanks so much for being here.

Chris: Thanks for having me.

Bridget: All right. So you’ve been in the mortgage business for quite some time, more than 20 years now, but how long specifically?

Chris: I don’t know to be honest. 22 excuse me, 2001.

Bridget: Okay. Yeah. 

Chris: Oddly enough I started September 12, 2001.

Bridget: Oh, my gosh. So yeah.

Chris: Big things going on in the world. So I can’t really forget, right?

Bridget: Yeah. You cannot forget that day.

Chris: That’s a legitimate time to start. 

Bridget: Well, we can’t forget when you officially came over to CrossCountry Mortgage. So when did you start with CrossCountry, and what was it about CCM that brought you here? 

Chris: In July of 2017, I was at another large correspondent lender and, was just ready for something new, and I had flown to Cleveland. I met Ron, and I, I joke with those guys that I was kind of in when we got through like the lunchtime presentations. I was like guys, like, enough is enough, I’m in. I love these guys. Just a great group.

And it’s been an awesome ride. I think what drew me to CCM was, like, the entrepreneurial mindset. And being able to kind of create my own business within the business. And it’s been an awesome place to be. 

Bridget: And you talked about the people, and that’s what really drew you into CCM. Can you talk a little bit more about the culture?

Chris: Absolutely. I mean, everybody is here to help. I’m from Boston. We’re known for having kind of that East Coast standoff mentality. It’s not me personally. So when I met that Midwestern crew, it was just the right fit. And from day one, like I said, everybody’s been here to support me and my team and help us grow the business, which is, which is imperative to bring yourself to the next level. 

Bridget: Well, it seems like you like everybody at CCM, but you also just happened to be pretty successful at what you do as well. You’re in the top 1% of mortgage originators nationwide. Huge accomplishment. Why do you think you’re so successful in this business?

Chris: I wish I had a secret sauce. I don’t.

Bridget: He’s just not telling us, he’s keeping it secret to himself.

Chris: You know what the secret sauce is? It’s consistency.

Bridget: I love that.

Chris: It’s just doing the same thing over and over again. It’s kind of boring, honestly, but I make the analogy a lot of times to, like going to the gym, right? A lot of people have a New Year’s resolution to go work out and get in shape, and they come out blaze in January 1, right? But if you look in the mirror January 2, nothing’s really changed. Right? January 25, nothing’s really changed. A month and a half later, yeah. Like 90 days you start to see something.

The problem is that the majority, 95% of the people drop out on January 15. So it’s doing the same things over and over again. And I’ve, you know, broken down my day. I like to keep it simple. I grew up playing sports. No hockey guy, but I make the analogy of, like, I break my day in like, four quarters, and I just try to stay consistent, executing my day accordingly. And it stacks up.

Bridget: Well, it’s certainly been working for you, that’s for sure. And again, CCM, we come together as a team and we lean on one and each other. We help each other. For someone that is considering joining CCM, what would you tell them?

Chris: I would tell them that this is a fantastic place to be. People culture, like we said are top notch. The technology, the tools that we have are amazing to help elevate your game to the next level. And you know, I have a pulse on what’s going on in the market. And we’re number one for a reason. Everybody wants to know what we’re doing.

Bridget: Yep. That secret sauce you’re talking about.

Chris: Just, you know, I think Ron would probably agree with me. It’s just consistency and staying true to yourself, supporting your team and everything else falls into place.

Bridget: Now, while you’re at the top of your career, you’ve also been on a very scary health journey recently. Do you care to share a little bit more about what you’ve been going through?

Chris: Sure. It’s been a little crazy. I got diagnosed with cancer in July of 2020. Multiple myeloma. And, you know, I was having headaches in my, in the back of my head, and I’m not really a headache guy, and I was questioning it. And that was in like March of 2023, excuse me 2020. Right in the middle of when Covid was getting going.

So I originally got diagnosed with occipital neuralgia, which is a nerve condition caused by stress. And I was like, well, I don’t think I’m stressed, but work is crazy, I got four kids, we’re in the middle of a pandemic. I must be stressed. I kind of let it go. And then, a friend really pushed me and my wife to to to go to the hospital, and this is like, July of 2020 and walked in and and made you feel like you had to have, like, a hazmat suit to walk in the door. And, yeah, I went through some tests that day and found out that cancer was all over my body, and, it was a crazy feeling.

But, you know, very lucky to have the support system between family and my work family behind me that has allowed me to continue to go and everything’s going good.

Bridget: And you didn’t let cancer beat you. You kept going. You kept being the husband that you are. You kept being the father that you are, all while still staying at the top of your career. How did you keep that mindset and stay so positive?

Chris: In my mind, there is no other choice, right? You just got to keep going. And life is about, you know, jumping hurdles and if anybody has a perfect life out there, I’d love to hear about it. It’s just not the way it goes. Right? Everybody has their own story. This is my story.

And I, you know, have had some tough moments. But, when it gets really tough, you to say, okay, let’s take a deep breath and let’s put one foot in front of the other. We’re on this side of the dirt, everything’s okay. And you push forward, and, we got this. I can guarantee you that. 

Bridget: Well, you’re so strong. You have such a positive mindset. It’s really inspiring. So for anyone that’s going through a tough time, whether it be a scary health journey, a career, anything else, what would be a piece of advice you could give?

Chris: Stay consistent.

Bridget: Yep. There you go. Right. Secret sauce.

Chris: Break into it and get, you know, your routine down. You know, I have a specific morning routine that I follow to kind of get my juices flowing, get me out the door, spend time with the family, jump into work. And just, you know, stay consistent with your day and don’t expect results overnight.

Bridget: Speaking of this morning routine, I heard you get up pretty early.

Chris: I’m a 5 a.m. Nothing too crazy.

Bridget: That’s middle of the night.

Chris: Nothing too crazy. But for me, you know, life gets crazy around 6:15,6:30. I have four kids, and they’re getting up and getting ready for school, so, you know, I do my best to get the juices flowing with my coffee. I do my business media, like to call it business meeting not social media, cause I’m not really a social media fan. And, I get through that. I consume positive content, whether it’s, business stuff, health stuff, whatever it may be. Then I flow into my workout. And by the time the kids are getting up, I’m, I’m ahead of the game. I feel ready to go.

Bridget: See, there’s a piece of advice you didn’t even know you were giving. I love that mentality. Get up, watch something positive, listen to something positive before you get your day started.

Chris: Watch. Listen. Learn.

Bridget: Yes, I love that.

Chris: Then execute. That’s the key.

Bridget: Well, again, you’re so inspiring. But I want to get to know a little bit fun side of Chris. Do you have a fun fact you can share with us?

Chris: Fun fact, the one that I take probably the most heat for, especially from my friends, my favorite entertainer/singer, Justin Timberlake.

Bridget: Well, I think that is like, I don’t understand why anyone would give you heat for that. 

Chris: I’ve been a JT fan since the NSYNC days.

Bridget: Me too.

Chris: Pre-marriage, I took my wife to an NSYNC concert. 

Bridget: I love it.

Chris: My claim to fame is I sat there with her and she was kind of shocked that we were at the NSYNC concert. And I was like, watch this kid right here. I’m telling you right now, he’s the guy.

Bridget: You called it.

Chris: I’m not gonna lie, I did. 

Bridget: And guess what? Fun fact for me, my first concert ever was NSYNC.

Chris: Oh my God. 

Bridget: So we’re, we’re in the same boat. We’re a JT Fan Club right here. 

Chris: JT’s my guy.

Bridget: Oh, I love that. Well, Chris, thank you so much for sitting down with us. Again, you’re such an inspiration. I think you know this, but your entire CCM family is always behind you, so we appreciate you for sharing your journey and your story.

For anyone that is looking to start a career with CrossCountry Mortgage, make sure you visit CCM.com and we’ll see you next time for the next episode of CCM Talks.