SitusAMC Power Pro: Teresa Ben

Name: Teresa Ben 
Title: AVP Asset Analyst Team Leader for Special Servicing 
Location: Remote  

Day-to-day: I supervise three analysts who are responsible for transferring defaulted loans into special servicing. The loans are then assigned to an asset manager and an analyst who work on a day-to-day basis setting up a new loan until the original loan is transferred back or resolved. I mostly assign the loans, but I also work with high-profile loans, and I end up wearing a lot of hats, doing everything from modifications to payoffs and resolution. I never really plan my day. I’ll make a to-do list, and that to-do list just continues to accumulate because there is aways something unexpected that pops up on the top of it. 

Inspiration:  Without a doubt it’s the people who inspire me the most in my job. I work with a great group of people and have for over 15 years. We’re team players and we always have each other’s back. We also are given the opportunity to work closely with the asset managers and I learn something new from them every day.   

Path to SitusAMC: I’ve always been a fan of real estate, so I’ve been lucky to have always worked in real estate businesses. Long ago I worked for GMAC and when my manager from GMAC moved to Situs, he gave me the opportunity to join that team. That team has been like a second family to me. I tell my boss all the time, “This is my bonus family. You guys have watched my children grow up!”  

Essential traits for the job: You need to be reliable and a team player. You also have to be able to identify problems and enjoy solving them. You need to show leadership by setting a vision. You need to be able to delegate to others so that they can learn new skills. Multitasking must come easily, because you don’t know what your day will look like. As they say, you gotta be able to move with the groove! 

Biggest success: My biggest career success has been to follow my heart, which is the passion I have for real estate. I’m so lucky that I’ve landed on a path where I’ve been able to work in some form for the industry. And asset management has been great.   

Hometown: I grew up in a small town in Arkansas. My town resembled Mayberry from the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. We had one high school, one post office, and one fire station, so everyone knew everyone. I wish my kids could have grown up there and shared that experience. You get to know everyone on a one-on-one basis. 

Fondest memories: As a teenager my life was filled with the small town excitement of Friday night high school football games or trips to the county fair.  But every summer my parents would drive across the country to San Francisco, so my summers consisted of spending time with family in California. My mom wanted to give us some choices and make sure we saw the wider world with its many opportunities. Because I grew up visiting lots of extended family in California, I almost felt like a resident when I spent time there.  And now here I am, a San Francisco resident. 

Pride and joy: I’m most proud of being a mom to my three children. Parenting them has been my proudest accomplishment. As I tell people, parenting does not come with a manual and each child is different. What works for one child may not work for the other child. As a parent you give it your all and pray for the best outcome. I watch my kids who are now adults with families of their own and it just takes my breath away, I’m so proud. I say to myself, I did something right! They are just great kids.  

Downtime: My favorite pastime is going shopping with my sister. Pre-pandemic my sister and I would travel two to three times a year to shop in New York City. We would catch some musicals on Broadway and hang out people-watching on Fifth Avenue or Central Park, just taking in the energy. I love how people are out and about at 10 pm at night. The streets are filled. You can’t help but make friends in New York City! That’s my go-to spot.  

Personal motto: Maya Angelou once wrote that people would forget what you said and did but people never forget how you made them feel. That is so true. Another personal motto I like to use at work is the answer to the question, how do you eat an elephant? And I say one bite at a time. As large as that problem can be, you can only chop away at it until it gets down to a size that is manageable. 

Little known fact about me: I am a Law and Order fanatic. My weekends and nights are spent watching that show.  I think I’ve watched the reruns five or more times. I’m a soap opera junkie and have been since I was six years old.