Meet Our Team

Jonathan Ortega

President/Founder

708-705-9231
[email protected]

Jonathan is the president and founder of Guaranteed Financial. He started his career in the mortgage industry at the age of seventeen. After holding several positions among three different companies, he eventually became a Senior Sales Manager at a large mortgage company. At the age of twenty one, motivated by what he saw as inequities in the industry, he set out on the journey of creating a new type of Mortgage Company. One that wasn’t solely focused on its bottom line and the “profit maximization” approach of the time, but rather a company that would embed itself into the communities it served. A company that would leave a social impact.

Now in its sixteenth year of existence, Guaranteed Financial has maintained itself as a dependable and seamless source of residential financing for hundreds of families and borrowers and is now a staple in its headquartered town of Berwyn, Illinois. Together with his team of experienced and entrepreneurial-spirited mortgage professionals, Guaranteed Financial is on pace to grow substantially in the years to come.

Jonathan holds both a bachelor’s degree in Business Management as well as an MBA in Finance from DePaul University in Chicago. Jonathan recently served on the board of the MBA Association at DePaul University. Jonathan was also a member of a Honduras Microfinance Brigade team whose mission was to bring basic financial structures to villages across the impoverished country. On his free time, Jonathan enjoys woodworking and traveling the world with his family. In the summer of 2019, Jonathan, along with his wife and two boys, visited their fifty-third country.

Luis Treto

Branch Manager – Berwyn

708-299-6958
[email protected]

Luis is Branch Manager of the near west suburb location of Guaranteed Financial which is located in Berwyn, Illinois. Luis leads a team of talented mortgage professionals and is responsible for originating mortgage loans as well as educating prospective borrowers on the multifaceted process of buying their first home. Luis holds the pivotal role of point person during transactions, including coordinating and communicating with realtors, attorneys, and title company personal. Luis is also directly responsible for collaborating with underwriters and their respective processors to ensure the execution and efficiency of the loan transaction.

Luis began his career as a Mortgage Loan Originator with Guaranteed Financial in 2004. In 2008, Luis took a leadership position with a large regional bank, where he further extended his already extensive experience in residential finance. In 2012, Luis returned to the Guaranteed Financial team to advance his career as a Mortgage Loan Originator. When not busy at work, Luis enjoys exploring his home city of Chicago by visiting as many of Chicago’s vast selection of restaurants as he can. Luis likewise has a passion for a wide range of music, from Chicago’s unique indie music to Contemporary Jazz. When he can, Luis likes mixing and combining existing music with different sounds and beats; creating new music for people to enjoy.

Anna Ortega

Account Manager

708-749-2200 x112
[email protected]

Anna oversees the entire Processing Department at Guaranteed Financial, including the various verification processes that take place throughout the transactions, the funding of residential mortgage loans, as well as the extensive quality control and audit procedures that insure that Guaranteed Financial continues to sustain itself above federal and state standards.

Anna started her career in the banking industry in 2002; fulfilling many roles at a local neighborhood bank. In 2006, Anna decided to join the Guaranteed Financial team. The experience and training Anna received during her tenure at her previous employer quickly propelled her to the management role she now holds. Throughout the years, Anna has developed an intricate system of processes and procedures that has reduced the turnaround time for loan closings to an average of three weeks.

Anna holds a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary and Justice Studies from NorthEastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL. When Anna is not occupied at work, she enjoys globe-trotting, camping, hiking and playing sports - especially rugby (she played for several years with the Chicago Sirens Rugby Team).

Anna also loves spending quality time with her niece and nephews.

Alberto Lopez

Senior Loan Officer

708-769-5790
[email protected]

Alberto is a Senior Loan Officer who helps many buyers in the south suburban areas as well as the city of Chicago at large.

Alberto’s tireless dedication to educating prospective and current homeowners, his vision toward the future, and over fifteen years of mortgage lending and management experience have made him an asset to his clients and business partners as well as an integral part of the Guaranteed Financial Leadership team.

Life outside of work for Alberto is spent enjoying time with his family which consists of his beautiful wife and three young sons. Alberto also maintains a very present role in his community by volunteering his time as a coach of his sons’ youth baseball, soccer and basketball teams and has previously served as a board member of his local Catholic Elementary School. Alberto is also an avid sports fan and when not coaching youth sports, he loves to take-in a game of his beloved Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls or Chicago Bears.

Nancy Sandoval

Loan Officer

708-248-0770
[email protected]

Nancy is responsible for originating mortgage loans as well as providing an efficient and seamless process for his clients. With over six years of residential and consumer lending experience, Nancy began her career with Guaranteed Financial in 2018 and is a member of the Berwyn, IL branch team. Throughout her time in the lending industry, Nancy has maintained that the key to a successful mortgage loan process is communication between all parties associated with a loan transaction which can include real estate agents and attorneys as well as the homebuyers/homeowners themselves. Nancy’s client-centered approach and consistent level of communication amongst team members and clients are what make her such a valuable asset to his clients and business partners.

In her free time, Nancy enjoys spending time with her beautiful family, biking the trails in her neighborhood, and making the most of Chicago’s unpredictable weather.

Mairead O’Riordan

Loan Officer

708-856-4055
[email protected]

Mairead joined the Guaranteed Financial team in 2016. With her already extensive knowledge of real estate, property management, and finance in general, she fit right in. Being a real estate investor herself, she has been able to give clients valuable first-hand insight on the often times confusing topic. Mairead is responsible for originating any of the vast types of mortgage loans Guaranteed Financial has to offer. Mairead is also accountable for coordinating and communicating with clients, realtors, attorneys, and Title Company personal regarding the process of the loans she’s involved in.

Learesi Montes

Loan Officer

773.707.7408
[email protected]

Learesi is responsible for originating any of the vast types of mortgages loans Guaranteed Financial has to offer.

Whether investing or purchasing your first home the process can be overwhelming, Learesi serves as a resource to all parties involved from client to business partners to ensure the process is as seamless as possible. Learesi takes a client-based approach coupled with clear and continuous communication to ensure her client needs are met and always at the forefront.

Learesi holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Arts Degree from Stanford University. She is passionate about educating the community about the multiple options available and aiding in building generational wealth.

In her free time, Learesi loves to travel the globe and spend time with friends and family. She enjoys attempting new baking recipes and exploring the city's restaurant and dessert scene as often as she can.

Michael Proch

Loan Officer

708-830-7615
[email protected]

Michael joined Guaranteed Financial with over six years of residential and consumer lending experience, giving him the know-how and skills to help our clients through the loan process. Michael is passionate about helping families achieve their dream of home ownership. He prides himself on providing excellent customer service by acting with integrity, being honest and most importantly communicating efficiently with clients.

Michael was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. He currently lives with his wife and his dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife throughout North and Central America and enjoys working on new projects around the home. Michael also values health, vitality, and nutrition and can be a bit of bookworm; always reading and learning about new things.

Javier Treto

Loan Officer

[email protected]

Javier works in our setup department. He assists the loan officers throughout the process, but in particular in setting up the files and getting them as prepared to go into underwriting as possible. In ensuring that all documents and processes have been executed correctly, he has a direct hand in our amazing average closing turn time of just under three weeks.

After work, Javier enjoys producing and editing his very own podcast and playing in a local volleyball league.

Sammy Martinez

Loan Processor

[email protected]

Sammy is an integral part of our processing department. She is responsible for obtaining many of the verifications that take place throughout the transactions, she helps with the funding of residential mortgage loans, and performs the extensive quality control and audit procedures that insure that Guaranteed Financial continues to sustain itself above federal and state standards.

Lizbeth Ramirez

Production Assistant

[email protected]

Lizbeth works in our setup department. She assists the loan officers throughout the process, but in particular in setting up the files and getting them as prepared to go into underwriting as possible. In ensuring that all documents and processes have been executed correctly, she has a direct hand in our amazing average closing turn time of just under three weeks.

Who We Are

Guaranteed Financial is an Illinois residential mortgage company dedicated to one thing – fulfilling the American Dream. Since our inception back in 2004, our team serves the lending needs of home buyers, homeowners, real estate professionals, and builders across the state by offering a host of diverse and flexible mortgage packages for customers with a variety of backgrounds and needs. Each member of Guaranteed Financial’s Senior Management Team possesses more than twelve years of experience in mortgage banking. Together we put people in homes – a place where memories are created, friendships are cherished, and families stay connected.  The team continues to look to the future for both opportunities and obstacles in order to maintain Guaranteed Financial’s path of success. Our “boutique” size gives us tremendous flexibility in everything we do.

Our Company Values

Guaranteed Difference

Here at Guaranteed Financial we often talk about what separates us from other lenders. What makes us different? Over the past ten years, we have built a culture around the constant desire to do things better, to learn from our past transactions, and a continued drive to learn and improve. The fact that we take the time to question how we can do things better, alone separates us from half of the mortgage companies out there. We’ve come up with a few other key attributes and qualities that further separates us from the crowd and defines who we are as a company. We call these principles the “Guaranteed Difference”.

Communication is the foundation of any relationship

Whether that relationship is between us and our clients, or us and one of our many partners, communication is at the root of any successful union. We strive to be empathic. Meaning when we communicate, we remember that we are communicating with someone else. They are not us. They may or may not know, what we know and especially for our first time home buyers much of the information they hear, they will be hearing for the first time. So we make no assumptions that they already know what we know in our head. We don’t start at chapter nine, we start at chapter one. As straightforward as that sounds, it’s something companies often overlook. Many times simple is not just simple, but also better.

If Communication is the Key then Urgency is the Lockset

‘Urgency’ is our inner pressure and drive to get things done in a timely, yet effective, manner. At Guaranteed Financial we understand that an efficient method of communication is one of the many necessary ingredients to success. We return all phone calls and emails the same day. Not just to clients and partners, but to everyone. Urgency provokes us to ensure we communicate all information quickly and effortlessly, good or bad. We don’t wait. The concept of NOW is always on our minds!

Every Client. Every Time. No Exceptions.

Clients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Could it be any clearer? Guaranteed Financial was built one client at a time. If we ‘wow’ every client every chance we get, then they win and so do we. It’s as simple as that. We treat all of our clients the same. We give each of them the time and effort they deserve regardless of the loan amount, the difficulty of the loan, or any other issue that may present itself during the transaction.

Yes before No

It’s critically important that we live the culture of ‘Yes’. This does not mean that every single loan transaction or borrower situation will ultimately be met with a big ‘thumbs up’. But it does mean that we respond to all curiosity with the mindset of ‘Yes’ first. Our bias is to the ‘Yes’ side of things. This is in stark contrast to the too common rigid approach of ‘NO’ being the automatic reaction of many of the nation’s lenders. Just because saying ‘NO’ is easier. The ‘status quo’ is not our favorite state. We live in the land of growth, possibilities, ideas, innovation, positive impact and results. And the only path to that place is through openness to the unknown….So ‘Yes’ before ‘no’. And know that when we do unfortunately say ‘no’ it’s only after we have done the work and exhausted all the potential of ‘Yes’ first.

Ignore the Noise

The home buying process can at times be a complicated one. The “noises” that arise are disguised in the obstacles that plant themselves in the way of our end goal of funding the loan. We will not allow the noise to keep us from our objective. Noise could be from naysayers, something going wrong during the transaction, an appraiser missing a deadline, an attorney not responding to emails, sun in your eyes, someone cut you off on the way to work; it can come from anywhere. A lot of things that seem serious at first glance turn out to be noise. The noise may fluctuate in volume, but the determination of our team members to press on in spite of it, in essence ignoring it, will make the difference to all of the people that depend on us.

We will find a way

There are a lot of things in this world that do not come with a set of instructions. The complex environment of the home buying process can at times be one of them. The innovators of the world are often exploring uncharted territory. They find their way without a map. When blazing a new trail, there’s an adventure at every turn… and getting there is more than half the fun! All it takes is some common sense, confidence and unwavering will to succeed. We believe there is always a solution, and/or always ‘another way’, even when it seems at first there isn’t. Have faith: “We’ll find a way!”

Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped

A great idea is just the first step. Here at Guaranteed Financial, we don’t just throw ideas against the wall to see if they stick. We methodically think things through. We find better ways of doing things that start off as ideas. The real magic is bringing an idea to life with great execution.

Always do the right thing

Here at Guaranteed Financial, the high road is not a short cut. We stick to the highest standard of integrity, without compromise. It is often said that character is what you do when no one is looking over your shoulder. Doing the wrong thing is never worth it. We have built a strong culture around being ethical and are champions for the recovery of the mortgage industry from the murky waters it was in just a few years ago. Remember, eventually, three things always come out: The Sun, The Moon, and The Truth.