May 2019

Page B8 MAY 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on For funeral and cemetery suppliers, business has never been more isolating. Often ideas are done in a vacuum. What you know is only what you know, which limits how far you can go. IMSA membership can change that. We’ve brought together some of the top industry experts to offer our members free one-on-one advice on marketing, business planning, legal issues and more. We also bring to our members insightful business-boosting webinars, meaningful trade resources and networking with other IMSA members. All this for just $175 a year. We’re the only association serving all funeral and cemetery suppliers. Because what’s good for the suppliers is good for the providers and that’s good for the families. IMSA. Supplying opportunity. Who Supplies the Suppliers? IMSA members now get free consultation with Dan Katz & Rolf Gutknecht of LA ads, Jake Johnson of Johnson Consulting, Ryan Thogmartin of Disrupt Media and Poul Lemasters of Lemasters Consulting. www.IMSA-Online.com Argent Financial Group announces Expansion of Funeral and Cemetery Trust Business with New Office in Wilmington, North Carolina Justin Wilson Jason Velie Tiffany Farwell WILMINGTON,NC— Argent Financial Group has announced that it has expand- ed Argent Trust Company’s funeral and cemetery operation with the opening of a new office in Wilmington and the addi- tion of three new team members. Joining Argent Trust are Justin Wilson as senior vice president and legal counsel and Tiffany Farwell and Jason Velie, who will both serve as trust officers. All three will be based in Wilmington and report to Steve Jackson, senior vice president of the funeral and cemetery division. All four Argent team members previously worked in Wilmington at Live Oak Bank’s pre- need funeral trust business, which Argent purchased in October 2018. The new office is located at 2602 Iron Gate Drive, Suite 202, and is company’s second office in North Carolina. Argent Financial Group has offices in 30 mar- kets nationally. “Our expansion to Wilmington is anoth- er step forward in building our funeral and cemetery business and serving our clients,” said Argent Trust senior vice president of institutional services Mark Milton, who oversees the funeral and cemetery division. “Our team, led by Jackson, has tremendous market expertise and experience, so this is the perfect opportunity for Argent to bring our brand of customer-centric service to a new and growing market.” “I am excited to be reunited with Jus- tin, Tiffany and Jason,” said Jackson. “Together with senior vice president Jim Breaux, we started and built the Live Oak funeral and cemetery division into a thriving and growing business. This team’s dedication to serving the best in- terests of our clients is second to none and I look forward to continuing to build upon the legacy of Argent Trust.” Wilson has more than 15 years of trust and banking experience and will over- see all legal matters for the funeral and cemetery division. Before joining Argent Trust, he was senior vice president and senior legal counsel at Live Oak Bank in Wilmington. Before that, he was vice president and legal counsel at Regions Bank and title attorney at First American Title Insurance Company. Wilson earned his law degree from South Texas College of Law and his Bachelor of Science de- gree from Texas A&M University. Farwell, who will oversee daily trust ac- count activity, has 12 years of banking and trust experience. Before joining Ar- gent Trust, she was trust operations super- visor at Live Oak Bank. Before that, she was a client services specialist in the trust department at First Citizens Bank &Trust Company. Farwell, who is a certified trust financial advisor, earned her bachelor’s de- gree in sociology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Velie has three years of trust and wealth management experience and will be re- sponsible for managing relationships with various funeral and cemetery trust clients. Before joining Argent Trust, he was a trust operations associate at Live Oak Bank. Velie earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. “Argent Trust has built an excellent team of experienced and proven trust professionals in the funeral and cem- etery industry,” said Wilson. “I am de- lighted to continue our work and provide fiduciary-level service to our clients and build upon Argent’s legacy.” “I have lived in Wilmington since 2005 and love this city so much that I plan to retire here,” said Farwell. “When Argent Trust purchased Live Oak Bank’s funeral and cemetery trust department, I jumped at the opportunity to continue working with my colleagues and serve our clients.” “It is truly a best-case scenario to rejoin my colleagues so soon after Argent’s ac- quisition of Live Oak Bank’s funeral trust division,” said Velie. “This team has some of the hardest working and dedicated ex- ecutives in this industry and I am honored to be part of a company that is making a difference in our clients’ lives.” Argent Financial Group (AFG) is a lead- ing independent fiduciary wealth man- agement firm. Responsible for more than $19 billion in client assets, AFG provides individuals, families, institutions and businesses with a broad range of wealth management services including trust ad- ministration and related services, invest- ment management, family office services, retirement plan and charitable organiza- tion administration, mineral (oil and gas) management, and financial, retirement and estate planning. For more informa- tion, visit www.ArgentFinancial.com. Live Oak Bank Earns NFDA Endorsement for Funeral Home Financing Pictured (L to R) are: Nick Padlo, Live Oak Bank loan officer; Christine Pepper, NFDA CEO; Tim Bridgers, Live Oak Bank, se- nior vice president of Funeral Home and Cemetery Lending; and Kaelin Stone, Live Oak Bank loan officer. B R O O K F I E L D , W I — When it comes time to grow or expand a funeral business, having a part- ner that understands the profession and can tai- lor lending products and service to meet a firm’s unique needs is para- mount. The National Funeral Directors As- sociation (NFDA) is pleased to announce a new Endorsed Provid- er partnership with Live Oak Bank, which will give association members a trusted resource to help their businesses flourish for generations to come. “We often hear from members about the chal- lenges of finding a lend- er who can help them grow their business,” said NFDA CEO Chris- tine Pepper, MBA, CAE. “Our exhaustive search for a lending company that we would be confi- dent in endorsing led us to Live Oak Bank. Their extensive expertise in the funeral profession, the benefits they will offer our members and their excellent customer ser- vice made them stand out head-and-shoulders above the rest. We look forward to a great rela- tionship with them.” Live Oak Bank is the largest Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the country’s largest funeral home and cemetery lender. They offer financing for acqui- sitions, expansion, ren- ovation, working capi- tal, succession and more with SBA, 504, USDA and other conventional loan products. Live Oak Bank also offers online savings and CDs at com- petitive rates. Live Oak Bank will work with each customer to help them determine the loan product that best meets their individ- ual needs and circum- stances. As an exclusive benefit, NFDA mem- bers will receive a $5,000 closing discount on any loan. NFDA members will also receive customer ser- vice from Live Oak Bank that is tailored to the fu- neral profession, with a clear understanding of their business’ needs to- day and in the future. Their commitment to serving customers is ex- emplified by their com- mission-free model where business advisors pursue their customers’ best interests instead of personal gain. Live Oak Bank takes their relation- ship with customers to the next level with quar- terly financial reviews and remain a resource for the life of the loan. “We are so pleased to be a member of the NFDA suite of Endorsed Provid- ers,” said Tim Bridgers, senior vice president of Live Oak Bank. “We have a strong history in the funeral profession, with more than $600 million in funeral and cemetery loans since 2010. We are confident we can help NFDA members achieve their business goals and ensure a legacy of com- passionate service to the families and communi- ties they serve.” Live Oak Bank, a sub- sidiary of Live Oak Banc- shares, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOB), is a digitally focused, FDIC-insured bank serv- ing customers across the country. Live Oak brings efficiency and excellence to the banking process, with- out branches, by using a focused approach to tech- nology and innovation. For more information, visit www.liveoakbank.com.