Ben Ottum has joined Merchants Bank as a Mortgage Lender, according to Larry Accola, President for Merchants Bank in Eau Claire.
“Having someone with Ben’s experience and knowledge of the local housing market on our team will be a huge benefit to our customers looking to fulfill their home dreams through buying or building,” said Accola.
Ottum has been in banking since 2008, with the majority of his time as a Mortgage Lender. He was most recently a Mortgage Loan Officer and Personal Banker at CCF Bank in Altoona, WI following eight years as a Mortgage Loan Officer at Fox Valley Savings Bank in Oshkosh, WI.
“I look forward to this opportunity to be a part of the Merchants Bank team and continue my career serving the home loan needs of residents in all the Chippewa Valley communities,” said Ottum.
Ottum has been a community leader for many organizations in the Eau Claire area. He recently served on the Board of Directors for the Chippewa Valley Habitat for Humanity and chaired its Family Selection Committee. In addition, he served on the committee for the very successful 2021 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days held in Eau Claire County and is a member and volunteer for the Young Professionals of the Chippewa Valley. Ottum lives in Eau Claire with his wife Carrie and two sons, Anderson and Greyson. In his free time he enjoys anything that gets him outside with his boys, including coaching baseball and watching their sporting activities and events.
The Merchants Bank Mortgage team is comprised of more than 20 local mortgage lenders, available throughout our regional footprint, backed by our in-house mortgage processing, underwriting and loan servicing teams. In addition to traditional mortgage loans, Merchants mortgage lenders can assist with mortgage pre-approval, construction loans, and specialized mortgage programs such as VA, FHA, Rural Development and more, available through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. We’re committed to being there for our customers after loan closing and service nearly $2.6 billion in residential mortgage loans.
Merchants Bank is a full service community bank with 23 bank locations in southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin and a leasing division, Merchants Bank Equipment Finance, in Edina. Headquartered in Winona, MN, MFGI has more than $2.7 billion in assets and is the fourth largest bank chartered in the state of Minnesota. Merchants was founded in 1875. Loans are subject to credit approval. Equal Housing Lender.