Sam has been a leading Mortgage Lender in the East Bay since 2003 and has been recognized as one of the top mortgage professionals in the Bay Area, earning his company's President's Club and Chairman's Circle recognition each year. With his experienced team and Guaranteed Rate's industry leading technology, Sam is perfectly positioned to help his clients navigate one of the most competitive purchase markets in the country.  
For Sam, the greatest reward is forming long lasting relationships with his clients and welcoming them to the East Bay community. Prior to his lending career, Sam taught English in France for two years and then worked for a quantitative portfolio management consulting firm in Berkeley. His background in education and finance enables him to expertly explain the nuances of financing choices and clearly articulate the home lending process. Sam graduated Summa Cum Laude with Highest Honors from Brandeis University in Boston.

SVP of Mortgage Lending

Sam Krueger is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Sam is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Sam at (510) 344-5240 for more information!

Sam Krueger at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #235803)

I have been a mortgage lender since 2004, entering the profession after 18 years in small business management and accounting. I immediately fell in love with the work of helping people achieve their financing and family goals through home ownership and realized that the skills I had developed in my previous career found a higher expression in the service of these goals. By utilizing a results-focused approach, I’m able to find resourceful and tailored solutions for my clients and help them pick the best option for themselves. My clients are confident and secure in their choices because of the education they receive throughout the entire loan process. As a result, nearly all my business is generated through referrals.   I am a Bay Area native, the granddaughter of Spanish immigrants from the province of Granada. I grew up in a home designed and built by my grandparents, where my grandmother would say that she attributed our family’s success to the fact that we owned our own home. Having grown up as a farm worker, she reveled in the freedom and independence of owning a home that served as a place of safety and sanctuary as well as a home base for our family, where we could put down roots, entertain friends and family, and create the kind of lives we wanted. This sense of the importance of having a home of one’s own is one of the many things she passed down to me.   I graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Humanities and have since continued my education independently. I am connected to my community, volunteering at local food banks and serving as a volunteer and committee member for STAND! For Families Free of Violence. I also take an active role in my business and professional community, where I am a member of the Oakland Berkeley Association of Realtors (OBAR), the California Association of Mortgage Professionals (CAMP), and Business Network International (BNI). My involvement with the business community allows me to connect my clients with excellent professionals in other areas when they are looking for services or help.  I currently live in Pinole and love to spend time outdoors, hiking with my friends and my dogs on local trails and taking in the natural beauty of the Bay Area. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and learning how I can help you best.

VP of Mortgage Lending

Evelyn Freitas is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Evelyn is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Evelyn at (510) 254-4674 for more information!

Evelyn Freitas at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #247578)

Hailing from the vibrant heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, Jenna Gray Benett has been a prominent figure in the Real Estate Finance landscape since 2004. Possessing diverse licenses across multiple states, including AZ, CA, CO, FL, OR, NV, TN, TX, WA, and MT, Jenna boasts a comprehensive understanding of the mortgage industry.


With an unwavering commitment to her clients' best interests, Jenna expertly navigates the spectrum from first-time homebuyers to seasoned investors. Her approach involves meticulous mortgage evaluation and strategic planning, aligning financial objectives with lifestyle goals. She firmly believes that clients deserve nothing short of excellence, and she's dedicated to surpassing expectations at every lending juncture.


Jenna's impressive achievements underscore her client-focused values. Recognitions such as the Top 1% Mortgage Originators in America and the Top Women Originators demonstrate her industry prowess. Awards like the Five Star Award, VIP Woman of the Year, and 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals Under 40 showcase her dedication and influence. She's also an esteemed member of the Chairman's Circle and President's Club.


Complementing her professional journey, Jenna holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Branch Manager/SVP of Mortgage Lending

Jenna Gray Benett is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Jenna is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Jenna at (925) 392-3419 for more information!

Jenna Gray Benett at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #245851)

Nicholas is Vice President of Mortgage Lending at Guaranteed Rate and brings seventeen years of industry experience to his clients. During his career as a mortgage banker and broker, Nicholas has tended to the needs of a diverse clientele throughout California. Whether looking to refinance an existing loan or to purchase a new property, Nicholas and his team offer highly competitive pricing along with the full range of mortgage products and a solution-oriented approach to doing business. Our goal is to provide the best possible mortgage experience and to insure a smooth and streamlined process to save you time and money.  Whether you are a first-time buyer or interested in a refinance or new purchase, we are here to help. Loan options include low down payment programs as well as the full range of conventional, FHA, VA, and jumbo loan products. Self-employed borrowers are also supported with a wide array of bank statement and asset depletion programs.  As purchase specialists, we also offer one of the fastest and easiest application processes in the business. Simply click on my “Apply Now” link to initiate your pre-approval and take the first step to getting into your new home. In most cases, 10 to 20 minutes are all you need to secure mortgage pre-approval. Why wait? Now is the perfect time and we look forward to serving as your dedicated team!

Nicholas Ballard is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Nicholas is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Nicholas at (415) 453-6200 for more information!

Nicholas Ballard at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #263995)

Dianne has been a licensed mortgage lender since 2002 and is a nationally recognized mortgage expert. Dianne currently serves as a Regional Manager and Senior Vice President of Mortgage Lending at Guaranteed Rate, one of the nation's largest mortgage lenders. In 2020, Dianne closed $385 million in volume and $455 million in 2021.


Dianne has numerous accolades throughout her long, impressive career in the industry. She has ranked consistently in the Chairman's Circle at Guaranteed Rate; she consistently ranks highly among Scotsman Guide's Top Originators (#5 among women originators as of 2021), and she is an annual member of the Top 100 by Mortgage Executive Magazine, the Top 1% by National Mortgage Daily, and Top 20 Women of Influence by HousingWire. She was named "Affiliate of the Year" in 2018 by the Oakland-Berkeley Association of Realtors.


Whether you're buying a home or refinancing for a lower interest rate, Dianne is here to help. As the second top-producing female loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, she can secure competitive mortgage rates for her clients. She takes a personal interest in each of her clients and provides customized, responsive services tailored to each client's unique wants and needs. Her goal is not just to meet client expectations but to exceed them. Dianne is a firm believer in client education and collaboration. Her goal is to obtain the strongest financing possible and for each of her clients to be confident in their decisions.


Dianne has an undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, Economics with Honors and a Law Degree from UC Hastings. She is a California native and an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area community where her offices are located. She's on the Board of Directors for Berkeley Symphony and the Affiliate Board Member of the Bridge Association of Realtors. For the past six years, Dianne has served as a member of the Bridge Association's Community Foundation, dedicated to raising money and offering grants to the homeless, elderly, and youth in the Bay Area counties.


Dianne is Chair of Guaranteed Rate Organization for Women (GROW), dedicated to supporting women's personal and professional growth in the mortgage lending industry. Dianne is an empty nester who raised her three children in Oakland as a single mom before remarrying in 2018. Her blended family now includes 5 "adult" children, giving Dianne a keen awareness of the challenges facing clients just starting and those making big changes in their lives. Dianne is proud to make the San Francisco Bay Area her family's home and even prouder to make the dream of homeownership possible for her clients.


Guaranteed Rate is able to lend in all 50 states, and Dianne is licensed in AZ, CA, HI, IL, IN, IA, MT, OH, OR, TX, and WA.

SVP, Regional Manager

Dianne Crosby is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Dianne is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Dianne at (510) 269-4184 for more information!

Dianne Crosby at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #304682)

While working as a mortgage **lender** for the last decade I've been able to assist my clients get through the loan process quickly and easily and with our help many of our clients have been able to make their dreams of affordable homeownership a reality.  
Buying a home for most people is the biggest purchase they will ever make. Keeping that in mind we believe that our responsibility is to provide mortgage services to our clients in a clear, easy to understand and straight forward manner. Our goal is to represent our clients with honesty, diligence and work towards creating a lifelong relationship with our clients. The biggest compliment we can receive after a transaction is complete is a referral from a past client.  
In a competitive real estate market and constantly changing lending environment our team strives to make the loan process a smooth one and our mission is to provide a competitive product coupled with efficient and personal service.  
Here at Guaranteed Rate we use local appraisers, automated underwriting and leverage technology to meet or exceed client and realtor partner expectations. We believe that these three aspects of our process differentiate use from the rest of the market and allow us to meet our client needs.  
I would love the opportunity to work with you, your friends or family on your next home purchase or refinance and if you need anything from me or my team please don't hesitate to reach out.

Erick Berthaldan is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Erick is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Erick at (510) 575-1482 for more information!

Erick Berthaldan at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #981330)

As your trusted Guaranteed Rate Loan Officer, my goal is to simplify the mortgage process, make your home loan experience easy to navigate and be available to you from application to closing. I take pride in thoroughly educating my customers throughout the mortgage transaction, so they fully understand their options and feel comfortable with their chosen loan program. Whether you are a first time home buyer or seasoned owner, you can trust me and my team with all of your home financing needs. Please reach out anytime using the contact information located on this page and use this website as a resource as you start your home financing journey.

Jason Yui is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Jason is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Jason at (510) 903-2230 for more information!

Jason Yui at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #1426398)

Fazal Kaka is your Berkeley local lender. As a loan officer at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Fazal is committed to helping homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, while simplifying the mortgage process and making your home loan experience easy to navigate. Contact Fazal at (510) 809-8734 for more information!

Fazal Kaka at Guaranteed Rate (NMLS #448102)

Berkeley

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8 Loan Officers in Berkeley, CA