Lake Elmo Bank

I had the opportunity to work with Lake Elmo Bank to finance my home mortgage. They are very professional, friendly, fast and efficient. They went out of their way to make sure I got a loan that is good for me and fit my needs. Even I am not a member yet at Lake Elmo Bank, they treated me like I own half of the money in this bank. I was treated with respect and they took care of me like I am very important to them. A very personal friendly bank. The gentleman that worked on my loan was Pete Johnson. He is very humble and down to Earth. Even he was on vacation when I was buying my house, he took times to work on my loan for a pre approval to make sure I got the house I was looking for especially on this hot crazy house buying. Thank you Pete and Thank you Lake Elmo Bank for being here!

I highly recommend American Mortgage Brokers, Inc! Getting my mortgage was fast and everything went smoothly. As a first time home buyer, Pete was always available to talk through my options and help me navigate all of the paperwork. His team was knowledgeable, patient, and professional. And their online process is clear and keeps you updated every step of the way. Last but not least, Pete helped me get a better interest rate than the other companies I looked into!

As I considered refinancing my home, I checked with my existing mortgage company to learn what my options were. They weren’t promising. I decided to check with a mortgage broker, to see if there was a way to make it work. Having no idea where to start, I decided to look locally, and start with a company with strong reviews. I wasn’t disappointed in my decision in calling American Mortgage Brokers. Pete was quick to respond to my inquiry. He listened to my situation, and offered his thoughts on an approach that could work. He was flexible with the application, and I was able to complete the process without leaving my house. After getting through the initial application process and credit check, Pete prepared several options for me to consider. These options included a payback analysis, examining which option provided the best outcome for me based on how long I plan to be in the home. There was one component that I thought was going to be challenging in making my refinance work, and Pete assured me it wouldn’t be a problem, and he proposed a back-up plan, even having an initial conversation with a lender to lay the groundwork should it be needed. Throughout the rest of the process, Pete was responsive, and helpful, even engaging while on PTO. As we neared the closing date, I created some drama by requesting a closing out of state to coincide with another closing I had scheduled on a different property. Pete made the arrangements, and helped shepherd us through the process, successfully navigating some last minute drama. I appreciate Pete’s customer-centric approach, thoroughness in exploring options, and follow-through. I will definitely use this company again in the future if the circumstances arise.

I was recently looking to refinance my home and heard an ad on the radio. I was reluctant at first because I usually do my own research but I kept hearing this ad so I reached to Granite Mortgage Company.
From my initial contact with Pete and his team, and throughout the entire process until finalized, I was treated with the utmost respect and professionalism. All emails were quickly answered and phone messages quickly called back. Pete even updated me after hours on a Friday night. You rarely get this type of concern and genuine customer service in today's society.
Granite Mortgage Company uses a very nice secure portal for providing documents and it also kept me apprised of the various stages of the loan process.
In short, Pete and Malorie provided impeccable service. Their knowledge, customer service, and attention to minor details was much appreciated.
If you are in the market for a new home, or looking to refinance, look no further than Granite Mortgage Company. Like my experience with Granite, your expectations will be exceeded.

Chris F.

I helped my daughter finance there new home, the process was so smooth that I just completed the process ( 9-25-2020 ) of refinancing my house as well. The gentleman I worked with was Peter Johnston ( and his staff ) and can't say enough. They were professional, responded to all my questions impressively quick. Extremely Happy with my experience with Peter and his crew, and have recommend to my friends already

Pete at American Mortgage Brokers was a pleasure to work with! We were building a home with a national builder who encouraged us to use their own mortgage company. Even after their cash incentive Pete was able to find us a better rate with fewer costs. Don't just assume these national builders have the best rates, take a look around! Better yet, call Pete at American Mortgage Brokers.

I have recommended Granite Mortgage to my friends and family. Before refinancing my mortgage with Pete, I did my homework. I spent a fair amount of time looking at other companies comparing rates, fees and terms. Not only did Granite Mortgage offer the best rate and lowest fees I could find, Pete and his team made the entire process painless. I felt that they had my best interests in mind. Pete Johnston is knowledgeable, professional and thorough. If I'm in the market for a refinance or mortgage in the future, I will absolutely call Granite Mortgage. Thank you, Pete!

Karla Quinnell

I’ve worked with Pete and the team at Granite City Mortgage on two occasions and I was extremely pleased with both. They did a great job listening to my needs, looking for solutions that fit those needs and clearly laying out my options. At no point did I ever feel like I being pushed or sold something that wasn’t right for me. Once I decided the route I wanted to go, they made the whole process easy and were attentive anytime I had questions. I’ve already recommended Pete and Granite City Mortgage to a friend and will continue to do so anytime I hear of someone looking for help with a mortgage.

I re-financed my home with the help of Pete Johnston and Granite Mortgage Company. Terrific experience. Pete moves the process along quickly without issues. He also has a great staff helping him. I will for sure be using Pete and Granite Mortgage in the future and would highly recommend him to anyone.

We worked with Pete and could not have asked for a better experience. Mortgages can be confusing but American Mortgage Brokers walked us through the whole process, found us the best rates, and responded to questions and concerns we had quickly even outside regular hours. We felt like a top priority from day one until we signed at close. We will definitely use them in the future!

Granite Mortgage Company made our refinancing a breeze. Pete Johnston and Malorie Boelter were extremely helpful and made this process super simple. They did a wonderful job explaining every step and everything they had estimated turned out to be correct. I never felt out of the loop and never once had any concerns about our refinance. Thanks so much to a Pete and Malorie! I could not recommend this company more. If you looking at refinancing, you are missing out by not at least talking to them.

Great experience working with Pete and Malorie at Granite Mortgage! Very honest and took the time to explain all the fees and mortgage options. Getting a mortgage is no easy feat these days but they made it smooth. Nice to see such a focus on service in an otherwise commoditized space. I will definitely use them again.

Pete's expertise in lending and high level of communication and service saved an otherwise lost deal. My client was working with another lender, buying a home "as is" with a conventional mortgage. However, that lender's appraiser cited windows being in poor condition, (an exaggeration of their condition) which caused the lender to require their repair or replacement prior to the close. Neither my client nor the seller was interested in doing any work as part of the sale and the date of close was now only 2 weeks away.
In actuality, we had fewer days to work with than 2 weeks' because it was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend when we were given the appraisal report and underwriting conditions! I immediately called Pete, with whom I worked the year before in a sale that actually required roof replacement as part of the sale. Everything went extremely well in that transaction, so I thought he would definitely know how to address and resolve this matter. My only concern was reaching him, because not only was it the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, but also almost 5 pm! Well I was thrilled to hear his voice when I called his number. He explained that this required repair in an "as is" sales was highly irregular (especially since not with FHA). Pete processed my buyer's application that very night, and rushed it to underwriting, ordered the appraisal early Tuesday morning, (day after Memorial Day), and thanks to Pete's knowledge and expeditiousness, we were able to close on the originally scheduled date of June 7th! The entire process took 9 business days! Impressive! I look forward to working with Pete again.

American Mortgage Brokers did a fantastic job on our recent purchase. Pete was a pleasure to work with and was very straight with us through the whole process. He even came up with a creative way to keep more cash in our pocket to replace a septic on the property. I have used them multiple times now and have no hesitation referring them to other people.

The only mistake I made was trying a different broker in the past though lending tree. They promoted a lower rate but the process was terrible. Don’t get fooled by marketing gimmicks. Go with a company that has a proven track record of excellent customer service.

Peter at Lake Elmo Bank worked with a buyer of a house that I was the listing agent of. Normally I wouldn't necessarily be in contact with the buyer's lender but they ran into some issues which would have affected the sale for my sellers. Peter was incredibly helpful in making sure the loan worked out and he kept me in the loop each step of the way. I had a very positive interaction with him and would recommend to anyone looking to buy a house to give him a call.

I have received a new home loan and refinanced a couple of rental properties with Granite Mortgage and have always been impressed with their ability to make the process so quick and easy! After my initial contact with them they always provided me with several options and explained the pros and cons of each option. Once I received the initial quotes, which were always competitive with anyone else in the business, they allowed me to choose the best option that suited my needs. I would highly recommend Granite Mortgage to anyone who is looking to buy or refinance a home!

I have worked with Pete, owner/broker, at American Mortage Brokers for both my initial Mortgage Financing as well as my most recent Refinance into a 15yr mortgage. I have absolutely nothing but positive things to say. Pete is extremely smart and always looks to the best option that puts the client in the best possible financial situation. Mortgage financing and refinancing always seems intimidating but Pete lays it out very clearly and makes document submission very easy. A++
Thank you Pete as always!
Justin B
Woodbury, MN

I had a great experience with American Mortgage Brokers. Service was second to none and the communication was quick, clear and concise. Not only did they come up with a solution for my unique situation but continued to work hard to get me the lowest interest rate possible. I have used many brokers in the past for different projects but never was it this easy with this great of results.

Pete Johnston and Lame Elmo Bank are the greatest! We had extenuating circumstances that made obtaining a Fannie Mae conventional mortgage very difficult, but Pete Johnston went to bat for us and stuck with us and got us approved. We closed on our new home today, two years ahead of where we thought we would be. We owe this all to Pete and his willingness to go the extra mile! We will be recommending Pete and lake Elmo bank to anyone we know. Thanks so much!

Had an amazing experience with American Mortgage brokers. The process of buying our forever home was smooth. Pete and his team exceeded our expectations. We would recommend them to anyone looking to buy a home.