Licensed State: Illinois

  • Steve Zuwala

    About Steve

    Steve's route into home lending started when his family moved from Europe to the United States. He watched his parents work through buying a home in a country whose lending system they did not yet understand, and that is where his interest in the process began — and where the wish to make it easier for other people came from.

    He works with first-time buyers, investors and self-employed borrowers, and he tailors the structure to the borrower rather than the other way round. He answers every question and keeps clients informed at each stage, because a confident borrower makes better decisions than an anxious one.

    Years of originating and of training other loan officers gave him a close view of where borrowers actually struggle and how much difference a good guide makes. He is still building on that, and he is direct about what a loan will and will not do.

  • Thomas Zoellner

    Thomas Zoellner

    About Thomas

    Thomas Zoellner is a Mortgage Loan Officer and Branch Manager at The Mortgage Exchange. Thomas has over a decade of experience in the mortgage industry. He is a devoted professional focused on direct and honest communication and always keeps his customer's best interests in mind. He prides himself on being attentive to every detail of the mortgage process and providing simple, easy-to-understand explanations. Most of his business comes from repeat clients, client referrals, and realtor referrals. Thomas offers Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, First-Time Homebuyer Assistance, Renovation, and JUMBO loans.

  • Rachel Zea

    Rachel Zea

    About Rachel

    Rachel Lynn Zea is a licensed Mortgage Loan Originator with The Mortgage Exchange serving homebuyers and homeowners in Indiana and Illinois. Rachel specializes in residential mortgages and has a wide variety of loan programs available, including but not limited to: FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional, Refinances, Bank Statement, DSCR, Land, Physician, Reverse and 1099. Her goal is to make the mortgage process easy, educational, and stress-free while helping clients build long-term wealth through homeownership.

  • Ray Young

    About Ray

    Real estate investing can be rewarding, and financing should not be the thing standing between an investor and the next deal. Raymond has been helping borrowers through the mortgage process since 2012, and his specialty is investors, both first-time and experienced, buying properties they intend to renovate and hold as rentals.

    Investment properties do not always fit neatly inside conventional guidelines. That is why Raymond works heavily in alternative financing, including hard money and Debt Service Coverage Ratio loans, which give investors flexibility on properties that need work or that a traditional program will not touch.

    Whether it is a first investment property, funding for the next renovation, or expanding a portfolio that already exists, he takes a strategy-first approach. He wants to understand the property, the investment plan and the objective before talking about structure, because the financing should be built around the deal rather than the other way around.

    If you have a property in mind, he is the person to talk to about how to finance it.

  • Nisha Yadav

    Nisha Yadav

    About Nisha

    Nisha Yadav has a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Master's Degree in Chemistry. Nisha now serves as the Director of Operations at The Mortgage Exchange and is a licensed Mortgage Loan Officer in Indiana and Illinois.

  • Kevin White

    Kevin White

    About Kevin

    Kevin White was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He is a local professional and has a vested interest in seeing his community prosper and flourish. Kevin's background for the past 20 years has been working at the Chicago Board of Trade and trading interest rate products, which have helped him succeed in the mortgage industry as a mortgage loan officer. Kevin's market knowledge helps his clients find the loan program that puts their family in a strong position. Kevin prides himself on providing excellent service and smooth transactions for all his clients and business partners.

  • Megan Vondielingen

    Megan Vondielingen

    About Megan

    Megan Vondielingen graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor's in Psychology. Even though she has been a Mortgage Loan Officer since 2001, she laughs and says she would never have guessed how much her psychology degree has applied to residential lending! Megan is a numbers person and a problem solver, so being a Mortgage Loan Officer is the perfect fit for her! She loves educating her clients through the mortgage loan process and helping them realize how to achieve their goals. When she's not working, Megan loves being with her family. She's a dance and basketball mom who loves traveling and discovering new adventures everywhere!

  • Andrew Trella

    About Andrew

    Andrew Trella graduated from Purdue with an Electrical and Computer Engineering degree; then, he started his career as a Systems Engineer for government projects in the public safety sector.

    In 2002, Andrew followed his passion for finance and the mortgage industry. Andrew has owned mortgage and real estate companies and served as an office manager. Today, Andrew enjoys being a Mortgage Loan Originator for The Mortgage Exchange in the Chesterton, Indiana branch.

    Andrew specializes in Conventional, FHA, NonQM, VA, and USDA home loans and refinances. He has extensive credit repair and financial planning knowledge and loves to sit with his clients to discuss what best fits their needs.

  • Chris Taube

    Chris Taube

    About Chris

    Chris Taube is a Mortgage Loan Officer who aims to help consumers decide which mortgage loan products best fit their needs and future financial goals. He advises clients on translating their financial picture into meeting mortgage loan guidelines so that loan approval is an attainable goal instead of an impossibility. By aligning with your goals and tailoring the loan process to your needs, Chris can deliver a personalized experience for every residential mortgage loan situation. If you want to purchase or refinance your home loan in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, or Michigan, give Chris a call!

  • Megan Talpas

    Megan Talpas

    About Megan

    Megan Talpas loves being a Mortgage Loan Officer and thoroughly enjoys helping people with their mortgage needs. She knows there are many moving parts to the mortgage process and agrees it can be overwhelming. It's her ultimate goal to make sure everything is moving along and that it's stress-free for her clients. Megan truly believes customer service can make or break an experience; she prides herself on her service and her communication. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, including her husband and mortgage partner Chad, and their two kids.