We Welcome Tom Vanderwell of Fifth Third Bank as a Guest Contributor on our Blog. Tom's weekly insights and wisdom about the mortgage industry are enjoyable reading and also educational. Please contact Tom at: thomas.vanderwell@53.com for the Latest Rate information as well as information on the wide variety of loan options he has available.
So from Tom....
Here's the latest on interest rates. Since they really haven't hardly budged since last week, rather than ramble on about nothing, I'm going to take a minute and share a few reactions to the activities that have been taking place literally just outside my office downtown over the last few days.
So, here are some reactions/conclusions:
1. President Ford was a man who wasn't afraid to do what is right even if what's right isn't popular.
2. I thought it was really neat how often he was referred to as "Gerald Ford, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and the 38th President of the United States." He had his priorities straight.
3. According to the numbers that I heard, more than twice as many people came to pay their respects in Grand Rapids in 17 hours as did in Washington DC in 2 1/2 days. I think that speaks very highly of the value that people in West Michigan put on people who are deeply religious, value their family and act with integrity.
4. The fact that some of President Ford's sons spent time personally shaking hands with the people who waited in line for, in many cases hours, (it only took about an hour when I went through) speaks very loudly about how much they appreciated the reaction of people in West Michigan to the life their father lived and the difference he made.
I guess the overwhelming reaction I had to all of the fanfare, the crowds, the military protocol, the news coverage, and it all was basically that West Michigan, even in these tough economic times, still places a very high value on integrity, family, religion and doing things right.
We've got a lot to be thankful for in West Michigan.
Thanks for listening!
Tom Vanderwell
Mortgage Officer
Fifth Third Bank
Office (616) 653-5375
Cell (616) 292-7559
Fax (616) 825-6085
111 Lyon St. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Quote of the week: "I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done for our nation." President Jimmy Carter, January 3, 2006
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