First Community Mortgage wins Better Business Bureau ‘Torch Award’ for Ethics

First Community Mortgage has been named the winner of the Better Business Bureau’s (Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky) highest honor: The Torch Awards for Ethics. FCM, which is licensed to lend in 46 states, won the Extra-large Business Category. The Torch Awards are presented in conjunction with the BBB Integrity Foundation.

“I feel strongly that actions speak much louder than words,” says Keith Canter, CEO of First Community Mortgage and one of the company’s founders, “and we’ve taken great care in establishing and communicating the core values of the organization, and communicating that they are never compromised by anyone.”

According to the Better Business Bureau, the Torch Awards for Ethics recognizes extraordinary businesses in BBB serving Middle TN and Southern KY’s service area that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to building trust through ethical practices with their staff, the community, their approach to marketing and within their industry.

Canter adds that, “at every level of employee engagement our values are communicated, but more importantly, executed. Eventually, it became the fabric of our organization, in which all employees understand the values, with a clear baseline for who stays on the FCM team. That ultimately cascades to our business partners and customers, who see that we trust our employees to ‘do right’ and that we can in turn be trusted with the privilege of their partnership and business.”

2021 BBB Torch Awards for Ethics winners were also presented in the Small Business Category to Lucas Motorworks, Welding & Fabrication, Murfreesboro, and in the Medium Business Category to The Dan Company, Nashville.

“This award is special because it’s bigger than who is selling the most of their service,” says Robyn Householder, President and CEO of BBB serving Middle TN & Southern KY. “It’s about displaying an ongoing commitment to ethical practices. This should be recognized far more often. BBB is proud to give this award as our highest honor.”

In addition to the BBB Torch Award for the Murfreesboro-based mortgage firm that does business nationally, FCM was named one of the Best Places to Work 2021 by the Nashville Business Journal and one of the Top Work Places 2021 by the Tennessean.

First Community Mortgage, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Community Bank of Tennessee, and includes Wholesale, Correspondent and Retail divisions. FCM is a FNMA, FHLMC, and GNMA seller/servicer and offers mortgage solutions to consumers and financial institutions. It funded nearly $3.5 billion in home loans in 2021. First Community Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS ID 629700.