Bainbridge Islander and home loan expert Becky Benz is back on Bainbridge Island and joining Bainbridge Lending Group as a loan officer for the island’s only locally owned mortgage broker.

Matt Culp, owner of Bainbridge Lending Group, said the addition of Benz gives his firm perhaps the deepest “braintrust of mortgage knowledge and experience available on Bainbridge Island.”

Together with Culp, Tom Rees and Benz they collectively have more than 50 years in the home loan business on Bainbridge.

“Islanders like to buy local, and we are truly local,” Culp said.

“We all grew up on the island and all are Bainbridge High School graduates. We also live and work here and know the real estate landscape personally and professionally; that gives us a huge competitive edge, especially when someone is moving to Bainbridge from out of the area,” he said.

Benz moved from Bainbridge in 2008 to Arizona and became a licensed real estate agent.

“I’m really blessed to be back doing what I love best,” she said.

“Sometimes, they say, you have to leave home to find home. Well, I am back home, and I’m especially pleased to be with Matt Culp and Tom Rees at Bainbridge Lending Group,” Benz added. “They are true professionals in the business.”

Benz found her passion in real estate and mortgage lending in the early 1990s while working for a local bank on Bainbridge Island.

She later worked with Culp at Puget Sound Mortgage and Escrow, formerly owned by Culp’s mom, Diane, now retired.

She grew up on Bainbridge in Port Madison. After graduating from BHS, she earned her degree in business administration from Washington State University. Benz then joined North Sound Bank, becoming one of the area’s most proficient mortgage professionals.

“I’ve known Matt and Tom for a long time,” Benz said. “We are cut from the same cloth: Integrity and reputation is everything. Your clients rely on your expertise. What you have done in the past defines who you are today. There is no more trustworthy team than the one we have at BLG,” she adds.

Since Bainbridge Lending Group is a federally licensed mortgage broker, Culp explained, his team has the ability to “shop” for their clients among many different lenders to find the right loan for them, giving customers access to wholesale broker rates.

Bainbridge Lending Group, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is headquartered at 345 Knechtel Way, Suite 200, between Madison and Ericksen avenues.