You found one. Two of them, actually — and they own the company. Ken Turkington and Kirk Chivas co-founded First Commerce Financial in 2007 and have been doing this together for 29 years. Not at a call center. Not at a big bank. Not jumping from company to company chasing sign-on bonuses. Two people who built something from scratch because they believed buyers deserved a fair shake — and have spent nearly three decades proving it.
Most mortgage lenders expect you to pay for their marketing, their inefficiencies, and their overhead before they ever look at your loan. We built this company specifically to eliminate that. Wholesale rates, zero junk fees, and two owners who answer the phone directly. That is what finding the right mortgage broker actually looks like.
Talk to Ken or Kirk — It's Free📷 Everything Is Done Virtually — No Office Visit Required
Text or call Kirk or Ken directly, upload your documents securely, and close from your kitchen table. We have been doing this virtually since before virtual was normal — and our buyers in Michigan, Florida, Arizona, and Texas close loans every day without ever setting foot in an office. Direct access to the people responsible for your loan, from wherever you are.
Four Questions to Ask Any Mortgage Broker Before You Commit
Most people shopping for a mortgage ask about rates. Rates matter — but they tell you almost nothing about whether the person you are working with is actually looking out for you. Here are the four questions that separate the brokers worth working with from the ones who are not.
❓ Do you own the company?
Most brokers say:
No — I work for [Company Name]. My manager handles that.
Ken & Kirk say:
Yes. We co-founded First Commerce Financial in 2007 and we own it. There is no manager to blame, no corporate policy to hide behind, and no quota driving our decisions. When you work with us, you are working with the people responsible for everything — the rate, the fees, the service, and the outcome.
❓ How long have you been doing this?
Most brokers say:
3 years. 5 years. Maybe 8 if they have been around for a while.
Ken & Kirk say:
29 years. Ken started in the mortgage business in 1997. Kirk started at the same time at Pioneer Mortgage. Between them they have navigated every market cycle — the 2001 recession, the 2008 collapse, the pandemic boom, and the rate spike of 2022-2024. There is no scenario they have not seen.
❓ How many mortgage companies have you worked for?
Most brokers say:
Three. Four. Five. They jump shops chasing sign-on bonuses, silver-bullet products, or they get let go when the market turns. Each move means starting over — new systems, new relationships, new everything.
Ken & Kirk say:
Two — total. In 29 years. They spent 10 years at Pioneer Mortgage — where they were shareholders — and have owned First Commerce Financial for the 19 years since. That stability is unheard of in this industry. It means consistent relationships with wholesale lenders, deep institutional knowledge, and no reason to ever put their own interests ahead of yours.
❓ Do you present options on a Zoom call?
Most brokers say:
No — we will email you the Loan Estimate and you can call us with questions.
Ken & Kirk say:
Yes — every client who wants to see their loan options gets a live Zoom presentation with a custom spreadsheet showing every rate, every payment, every cost side by side. We share our screen, walk through every option, and read the room in real time. You do not have to figure out a PDF alone. We are right there until it makes complete sense.
The Greed Most Lenders Do Not Want You to See
Here is something most lenders hope you never look closely at: your Loan Estimate. Specifically, the origination charges section. Because buried in there — on almost every loan from a retail lender or bank — are fees that have nothing to do with your mortgage and everything to do with their overhead.
What a Typical Retail Lender Charges Before You Even Get to Closing
These fees are not required. They are not government fees. They are not title company fees. They are the lender charging you for their marketing department, their call center infrastructure, their office lease, and their management layer — and rolling it all into your closing costs as if it is a normal part of doing business.
It is not normal. It is a choice. And we chose differently in 2007 and have never looked back.
We own the company for a reason. That ownership means we control the fee structure. We can make as little as we want on a transaction — or even go negative if the situation calls for it. No corporate mandate. No minimum fee requirement. No quota. Just two owners who decided that the way to build a 29-year mortgage business was to treat every client the way we would want to be treated if the roles were reversed.
What Makes a Good Mortgage Broker — The Real Checklist
Beyond the four questions above, here is what you should be looking for when you evaluate any mortgage broker:
- Independent — not captive. A true broker shops multiple wholesale lenders on your behalf. If they only work with one lender or have a preferred lender relationship that benefits them rather than you, they are not fully independent.
- Full fee disclosure upfront. You should know every cost before you apply — not at closing. Ask for a fee breakdown on day one. If they cannot or will not give you one, that tells you everything.
- Shows you multiple options. A broker who presents only one loan option is either lazy or steering you toward the product that pays them the most. You should see at least three to four scenarios with full cost comparison before you make a decision.
- Direct access to the decision maker. If your questions get routed to an assistant or a customer service line, you are not working with a broker — you are working with a call center that happens to be licensed as one.
- Stability and track record. A broker who has been at their current company for less than two years has not been tested by a market cycle. Ask how long they have been at their current shop — and what happened to their clients when the market turned.
Why Independent Brokers Get Better Rates Than Banks
Banks and retail lenders set their own rates — and they build their margin directly into the rate they offer you. The rate you see is the rate after the bank has taken its cut. You have no visibility into what the underlying wholesale rate was or how much margin they added.
An independent broker like First Commerce Financial accesses the same wholesale rates that banks use to fund their loans — but we pass those rates to you directly, taking our compensation transparently on the Loan Estimate. That transparency is required by law for brokers. It is not required for banks. Which is exactly why banks and mortgage bankers do not have to tell you what they make on your loan — and why we always do.
29 Years. Two Companies. One Mission.
— Ken Turkington & Kirk Chivas, Co-Founders, First Commerce Financial | NMLS #137873 & #160828
We started in the mortgage business in 1997 at Pioneer Mortgage — where we were shareholders, not just employees. We spent 10 years there learning the business from the inside. In 2007 we founded First Commerce Financial because we believed there was a better way to do this — one that put the buyer first instead of the lender's profit margin.
In 29 years we have worked for two companies. Two. In an industry where most loan officers change shops every two or three years chasing sign-on bonuses, better splits, or the next silver-bullet product — we built something we believed in and stayed. The stability of that track record is not incidental. It is the point.
When you call us, you are talking to the owners. The people whose names are on the license, whose reputations are on the line, and who have been doing this longer than most loan officers have been in the workforce. We cannot hide behind a manager or a corporate policy. Everything we do reflects directly on us — and that accountability changes how we approach every single transaction.
Licensed in Michigan, Florida, Arizona, and Texas
First Commerce Financial is licensed in four states — and because everything is done virtually, your location does not determine who you work with. You get Ken and Kirk regardless of whether you are buying in Milford, Michigan or McKinney, Texas or Jacksonville, Florida or Gilbert, Arizona.
Text or call directly at (248) 459-5511. No call center. No hold music. No junior loan officer. The owners pick up.
You Found Your Mortgage Broker.
Two owners. 29 years. Zero junk fees. Wholesale rates across 20+ lenders. A live Zoom presentation for every client. And direct access to the people responsible for your loan — always. Call or text Ken or Kirk right now and let's get started.
Get Your Free Pre-ApprovalOr call or text directly at (248) 459-5511
First Commerce Financial | Licensed Independent Mortgage Broker | NMLS #137512 | AZ MB #1001354 | Licensed in Michigan, Florida, Arizona, and Texas | Ken Turkington NMLS #137873 | Kirk Chivas NMLS #160828
