A Little Listening Goes a Long Way

Steve Posson, a local delivery driver, always wanted to help out his kids any way he could. So as his kids neared college-age, he wanted to help provide some of the financial support so they could pursue their secondary education goals.

He went to the big bank he had been a  customer of for over 15 years to learn about his options for a home equity loan. It didn’t go exactly as he hoped. “I’d been a customer there for so long, I was hoping for some help on their end. Instead of help, I got a long list of things I would need to do myself. It was all work for me,” Steve says.

“That made me realize that I was banking in the wrong place.”

Luckily, through word of mouth, he heard that Coastal  works with people to help them every step of the way. “I figured I would check it out, see what the difference really was. What was the worst that could happen?” he adds with a laugh.

Shikha Panjwani, a Coastal employee for more than 6 years, greeted him when he walked in. Things started looking up for Steve right away.

He wanted some information about his options with either a conventional home equity loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC). “She was clearly very professional and knowledgeable. In a very short amount of time she was able to articulate the pros of cons of both options,” Steve notes.

“Her ability to explain the options and lay out all the options was impressive. Everything she said turned out to be honest and true. She wasn’t just over selling.”

After some back and forth, it was clear a HELOC would be the better option in his situation. And from there, things continued to move smoothly.