Meet Tony Turner, Senior VP of Mortgage, a Division of Gulf Coast Bank

There are a few mantras Tony Turner has carried with him since serving as a Military Police officer in the U.S. Army and Louisiana National Guard.

The first – “Win the Morning” – helps him maintain the deep organizational discipline he learned over the course of his 6 years in service with the 239th Military Police Company.

The second – the 3 “M’s” of Management: Mission, Men, and Morale – these benchmarks continually guide him even today when managing his team and work at Gulf Coast Bank.

In his experience, he explains, it’s been the latter lesson and mindset that has fueled his success and gotten him through the “ups and downs” of the mortgage industry.  You can’t be in this business for 28 years and not have the discipline to manage the day to day oversight and be successful, but it’s seeing the success of his Team that gives him the most pride.

From Grueling Travel to Rewarding Work Close to Home

After transitioning out of his Army National Guard service, Tony attended and graduated from LSU and joined the ranks of a large national bank - working in a variety of capacities from Credit Risk, Mergers & Acquisitions, Retail Banking & ultimately as the National Operations Manager for the Home Lending Division.

I get to see the direct impact of homeownership in our borrows' lives daily and that's very rewarding -- Tony Turner, Senior VP, Mortgage 

Eventually, he found himself traveling frequently, from the West Coast to the East Coast, taking him away from his home and family for the majority of each month. Years later, Tony moved into an SVP role with a regional bank with the hope of a less grueling travel schedule, but soon learned that was not the case.

He pursued the opportunity to work for Gulf Coast Bank’s Home Loan Division to be closer to home. The Baton Rouge branch, in fact, is right in front of his neighborhood in Old Goodwood.

“I love being a part of the community aspect of Gulf Coast Bank. For most of my career I wasn’t really a part of the local lending community even though I lived here, my expertise was embedded on the national & regional level, where I still maintain great relationships. Here, I get to see the direct impact of homeownership in our borrowers’ lives daily and that’s very rewarding.”

A ‘Fixer’ and Seasoned Mortgage Veteran

As SVP, Tony has a bit of a different mission than a Mortgage Loan Originator. In addition to acting as a liaison among internal departments, vendors, and customers – and rallying with his team to achieve their goals – he’s a “fixer.”

A primary part of his role involves working with secondary market investors, agencies and servicers who acquire loans as mortgage-backed securities, in turn, freeing up funds for new borrowers.

No one goes into this business thinking they are going to be in it for this long. A lot of it has to do with the excellent management and community environment of Gulf Coast Bank -- Tony Turner, Senior VP, Mortgage 

“If there are any problems that have occurred with a loan that would prevent an investor from accepting that loan, it’s my job to identify the issues and fix them,” he says.

It’s challenging, but rewarding work as Tony explains.  Over the course of a nearly 30 year career, he’s seen the good as well as the bad.

Even with the pandemic, he says, Gulf Coast Bank is seeing a year they have never seen before in terms of record production, in part due to historically low mortgage rates.

“You come to appreciate times like this and ride the wave,” Tony adds.  “The work is hard and I’ve worked almost every weekend since April but we realize this won’t last forever.”

CrossFit, Volunteering, and Fatherhood

When he’s not down the street from his home in the Gulf Coast Bank office, you can find Tony at a few places.

He’s an avid CrossFitter and a dedicated volunteer at his church, along with his wife Aimee. He and others at Gulf Coast Bank work closely to sponsor, mentor, and teach students attending Cristo Rey Franciscan High School – a Catholic learning community that educates young people of limited economic means to become men and women of faith, purpose, and service.

He’s also a Dad of 3 older sons — one a recent college graduate, one in college, and another in his senior year of high school.

Looking back on his career, Tony admits he never thought he would be working in the Mortgage business as long as he has.

“No one goes into this business thinking they are going to be in it for this long.  A lot of it has to do with the excellent management and community environment of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company.”

“Location and quality of life are important at this stage in my life,” he says. “I don’t have a commute time – I can walk to the office. I love having the ability to take a half hour off on any given day to attend daily mass or volunteer at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital with Aimee as Eucharistic Ministers.”  

It’s something he probably wouldn’t have been able to do before joining Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company.

Reach Out to Tony Turner

Tony Turner is Senior Vice President of the Mortgage and Bank Division and is based in our Baton Rouge branch. He can be reached at 225-757-4403 or TonyTurner@gulfbank.com. Looking to learn more about your loan options? Read more about our home loan programs. You can also find a lender near you and get started with the application process.