Dignified Home Loans

Due to some factual errors and omissions, the article written in the 2016 Business Showcase about Dignified Home Loans has been re-written online and available for review at theloopnewspaper.com. Below is the corrected article

In July of 2015, Dignified Home Loans, LLC opened a new lending office in Tehachapi. Under the watchful eyes of Jeff LaMonte, Laura Johnson and Ron Depew, Dignified will deliver to customers and business partners, an unparalleled level of service. With the Tehachapi office and an office in Bakersfield, Dignified Home Loans serves the entire Kern County area.

Additionally, there are Dignified offices in California and Nevada with plans to expand to Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as well.

The parent company was founded in 2010 by Jack Schakett and Preston James in Westlake Village, California. Between the founders, they have over 50 years of experience in the mortgage industry. They formed the company to fill what they felt was a void in the lending industry. They recognized a need for a traditional mortgage company that would put the needs of the customer first. Their goal was not necessarily to be the largest lender, but the most respected. They set their focus on the traditional values of honesty, integrity, trust, and customer service excellence. Dignified considers each loan more than a transaction. It is an opportunity to build long term relationships with their customers.

At the same time in 2010 that they formed Dignified Home Loans, Schakett and James started Dignified Transition Solutions to provide industry-leading loss mitigation solutions to the lending and financial services industry and to assist homeowners with short sale transactions.

Each of the three team members of Dignified's Tehachapi office is a long-time Tehachapi resident and have over 60+ years of combined experience in the lending industry. Jeff LaMonte, the son of Bill and Doreen LaMonte, grew up in Tehachapi and watched his father become a successful lender who worked in the Tehachapi area for over 30 years. The bulk of Jeff's loan origination and executive management experience comes from his years with Countrywide Home Loans and Bank of America.

Laura Johnson's family history in Tehachapi goes back over 100 years. Her grandfather, Louis Boden, was a US marshal for the city of Tehachapi and became Constable in 1926. Laura's father, Herb Force, was a building inspector. There is information about her family written in the book "The Fickerts of Bear Valley" by Eleanor Engelstad. Laura herself has lived in Tehachapi since 1975 and, before joining Dignified Home Loans, was associated with iMortgage and First American Title.

Last, but not least, is Ron Depew. Ron comes to Dignified Home Loans following 33 years in the banking and lending industry, and was with Guild Mortgage prior to joining Dignified. Ron is also very active in the Tehachapi community and currently on the board of the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council and is a past Chairman of the Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce. Ron also co-founded the local Relay for Life Chapter in our area.

Dignified Home Loans is conveniently located at 801 W. Tehachapi Blvd., Unit 3.