About Us


Ensuring Confidence Every Step Of The Way

Our Mission

 

First and foremost Certainty Home Loans is about people. We’re about doing whatever it takes to find the right home mortgage for you. We are about personal attention, about simplifying the process through our expertise and transparency. Because in an industry where many of the products stay the same, it is the team of individuals helping you and the service they provide that make the difference.
 

Our History

 

In January 2000—armed with passion, ethics, and experience—we wanted to create a successful company built on forming solid partnerships with real estate agents and builders who shared a similar vision; to make home ownership a reality by putting people first. At the time, it was a unique concept in the home mortgage industry. We opened the doors to the public on March 1, 2000 as WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.
 

Today, our name has changed to Certainty Home Loans, LLC but our core belief in treating people right while providing unparalleled customer service and mortgage expertise remains. We are nationally recognized with a reputation for offering a wide range of loan products and a commitment to the communities we serve.
 

Our Culture


We never want to lose sight of our values and the importance of the individual. We hire talented, entrepreneurial individuals to run our day-to-day operations. These individuals are selected because of their abilities to grow our company while maintaining exceptional customer support. People are our #1 asset at Certainty Home Loans. Our approach is to involve all employees in the direction of the company by allowing them to provide direct feedback to management. This provides the incentive for all employees to manage the business as if it were their own.
 

Company Facts
 

  • Since our founding, we have helped over 180,000+ families finance their homes.
  • Our headquarters is in Plano, Texas.
  • We have licensed loan officers in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
  • We’ve won numerous mortgage industry and business awards and have been nationally recognized by:
    • Top 100 Mortgage Companies in America, Mortgage Executive Magazine, 2011 - 2019
    • Top Originators, Scotsman Guide, 2009 - 2019
    • Best In Class, MortgageSAT, 2019
    • Top Originators, National Mortgage News, 2015 - 2020
    • Best Companies to Work For 2020, National Mortgage News
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MORTGAGESAT NATIONAL MORTGAGE NEWS SCOTSMAN GUIDE MORTGAGE EXECUTIVE MAGAZINE
95% Customer Satisfaction Score Best Mortgage Companies to Work For 2020 Top Originators 2019 Top 100 Mortgage Companies in America 2011-19

Meet Our Leadership Team

John L. Aspinwall

Director and Managing Member

Since co-founding the company as W.R. Starkey Mortgage, LLP in 2000, John has held various executive management positions including CEO. John has been in the financial services industry for over 35 years, including community banking, public accounting, technology development and mortgage banking. John currently serves on the Advisory Board of the McCoy School of Business at Texas State University. He holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Denver and a B.B.A. from Southwest Texas University.

Scott A. Benson

Director and Managing Member

Since co-founding the company as W.R. Starkey Mortgage, LLP in 2000, Scott has held various executive management positions, including serving as its CFO. Scott has over 35 years of experience in financial services, he has been a CPA and over 20 years in the banking and mortgage industries. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from San Diego State University, and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles. Scott also holds a CPA certificate from the State of California. Scott oversees the financing and accounting functions of the company.

Jim Clapp

President 

As Certainty Home Loans President, Jim is responsible for the strategic direction of the company and oversees the executive leadership team. As CFO of Certainty for seven years (2011-2018), Jim was responsible for the management of all financial and accounting functions for the company. Prior to joining Certainty Home Loans, Jim had more than 17 years of experience in commercial banking with a focus on mortgage warehouse lending. Jim is a Director on the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association Board of Directors and is currently serving as the Association’s President for the 2020-2021 term. Jim is also a member of the MBA’s Independent Mortgage Bankers Executive Council. Jim serves on the Board of the non-profit Stewpot Alliance, a homeless shelter and resource center, as the Assistant Treasurer. Jim holds a B.A. in Finance and an MBA with a finance concentration from Texas Christian University.

Doug Casbon

Division President – East

Doug is responsible for national loan origination production, growth and expansion in the Eastern part of the United States. He has nearly 30 years of mortgage banking experience. He has a passion for growing purchase production and mentoring future leaders. Doug attended Georgia State University and has a bachelor’s degree in real estate and finance.