Cornerstone Home Lending: A Home Away from Home

Cornerstone Home Lending has one mission in mind: landing you your dream home as quickly and seamlessly as possible and doing it with respect, dignity, and purpose. Named after a Christian hymn and founded on Christian values, Cornerstone operates with the ultimate goal of helping others. The Christian values laid out by the company — honesty, service, and respect — are not only the values that guide their home lending process but are the core values that make Cornerstone’s workplace culture shine against the rest.

“A lot of companies are Christian or religious, but it’s all written down and that’s it,” Branch Manager Aryan Mashayekhi says, “here, it’s more than just writing.”

Cornerstone values helping their team members as much as they value helping their customers. Whether you’ve worked at Cornerstone for two weeks or two years, you are part of a family that wants to support you in every facet of your life, not just when you’re on the clock. Team member Rachelle Snyder recalls a time when a fellow team member’s daughter encountered health issues, and even though she had only been employed with Cornerstone for two weeks, the company didn’t hesitate to grant her two weeks off to be with her daughter. Additionally, since her medical benefits hadn’t kicked in yet, the company financially assisted her with the medical bills. The Cornerstone family ensures that you’re never alone in times of crisis.

This same kindness is extended to the community through the Cornerstone Cares program. Cornerstone has donated over $45,000 to various organizations that support their mission of helping those in need and making a positive difference in people’s lives. If a team member is experiencing a time of need, they’re also encouraged to apply to Cornerstone Cares and receive support.

Unlike other workplaces, the Cornerstone workplace feels like a close-knit family, and team members focus on encouraging each other and fostering an environment of support and positivity. The work environment is drama-free and open dialogue is the norm.

“For us, it’s ‘hey, how can I help you?’ or, ‘this didn’t go well, what can we do to make it better next time?’” says Recruiting Manager Dana Bustos.

The company shows appreciation for their team members’ hard work by consistently checking in, rewarding hard work with bonuses, and offering personal days as well as vacations. It’s also company-wide policy that you get your birthday off every year to relax and celebrate. They hold monthly drawings for team members, and if your name is pulled, you receive a gift card for each year of service with the company. Despite the company being made up of almost 2,000 team members, the founders are dedicated to establishing personal relationships with their team.

“This is the only company I came to where the CEO personally reached out to welcome me to the company,” Mashayekhi says, “it’s the same thing for anniversaries with the company or birthdays.”

With such dedication to creating a family within the workplace, it’s evident why Cornerstone has been ranked a top workplace by the Houston Chronicle for 12 consecutive years, alongside many other honors such as Great Place to Work for Millennials and Great Place to Work for Women. They are committed to the values that make them who they are and continue to hire people that are passionate about these values and will carry on the Cornerstone legacy of serving their customers, the community, and each other.

“I’m not leaving Cornerstone,” Mashayekhi says, “I want to be buried here.”