MIAMI, FL – March 31, 2015 – OneUnited Bank is proud to welcome senior banking consultant Marcia Barry-Smith who has over thirty years of high level banking experience in South Florida. Barry-Smith will be responsible for rolling out OneUnited’s UNITY Home Loan Program, an exclusive loan program to accommodate first time homebuyers of low to moderate income and/or for property in low to moderate income census tracts in Miami-Dade County.
OneUnited Bank’s engagement with Barry-Smith is expected to elevate the Bank’s CRA focus and results, while offering a successful specialty home loan program through its Miami branch. With her three decades of experience in banking, Barry-Smith is fluent in branch acquisitions, loan servicing, loan origination, and community reinvestment. It is these credentials paired with her keen knowledge of South Florida’s multi-cultural communities and passion for public and motivational speaking, that makes OneUnited Bank President Teri Williams confident in her decision to add Barry-Smith to the OneUnited Bank team.
“We are excited to add Marcia Barry-Smith’s expertise to better serve the needs of the Miami-Dade County,” says Teri Williams, President & Chief Operating Office. “She has already had an impact with the introduction of the UNITY Home Loan Program.”
Barry-Smith’s first order of business will be to launch the UNITY Home Loan, a 30 year, fixed-rate loan in Miami-Dade County. In order to quality for this loan product, which has a minimum loan amount of $40,000, buyers must provide a 3% down payment, with at least 1% from their own funds. Grant money or a gift from a relative may be added to buyers’ own funds to meet the 3% requirement. If grant funds are involved, subsidy maximum purchase price guidelines will apply.
Qualifying properties for the loan program are owner-occupied, single family residences and condominiums in Miami-Dade County. Interested borrowers may meet Marcia Barry-Smith and hear more about the UNITY Home Loan program at the free H2H Miami Homebuyer’s Club on April 28, 2015 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Belafonte TACOLCY Center (6161 NW 9th Avenue, Miami, FL 33127) during which professionals will show consumers how a security deposit, first and last month’s rent over an extended period of time is equivalent to the down payment on a home. It is Williams’ hope that through these monthly events and the UNITY Home Loan Program, OneUnited can increase Miami-Dade residents’ awareness in the possibility of becoming a homeowner.
Media Contact:
Suzan McDowell
Circle of One Marketing
305-576-3790
[email protected]
OneUnited Bank (www.oneunited.com), a Minority Depository Institution (MDI) and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), has received the Bank Enterprise Award from the U.S. Department of Treasury for ten years due to its community development lending. Its mission is to be the premier bank serving urban communities by promoting financial literacy and offering affordable financial services.
