Who
Moses Henry, Community Mortgage Loan Officer for Regions Mortgage.
What
One of the first recipients of the “Unsung Hero Award” from Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (Florida)
Why
In 2017, Regions Mortgage Production Manager Jim Branch helped Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (also known as HabiJax) develop its first third-party lending program, and Henry proved that the program could work by helping more than 50 residents finance homes worth nearly $6 million.
That freed up cash Habitat reinvested to build even more affordable homes and widen its service area to include two additional Northeast Florida counties — further increasing access to homeownership. Since then, the innovative lending approach has become a model for other community lenders and Habitat chapters.
Regions was the first bank to partner with us as third-party lenders, and Moses Henry and Jim Branch were THE guys that figured out how to do it. Chris Folds, chief community partnerships officer for HabiJax
Chris Folds, chief community partnerships officer for HabiJax, believes third-party lending is why HabiJax was one of the only Habitat affiliates in the nation to increase production in 2024, building 44 new homes.
“Regions was the first bank to partner with us as third-party lenders, and Moses Henry and Jim Branch were THE guys that figured out how to do it,” Folds said. “Moses’ knowledge about lending to low- to moderate-income clients is second to none.
“It’s very doubtful that we’ve had been able to increase production in 2024 without third-party mortgages, which Regions wrote the book on,” he added.
“Moses is one of our community’s most valuable minds on the subject of affordable housing, and when you combine that with his generous heart, you have someone who has made a real difference,” Folds said.
“He is an Unsung Hero because he helped us pioneer new approaches to lending that have made HabiJax much more sustainable. He’s a treasure!”
In His Own Words
“I feel extremely blessed to be a part of something I love doing,” said Henry, who joined Regions Mortgage in 2013. “I’m also blessed to work for a bank like Regions with such great programs and a commitment to help people that may otherwise not realize the dream of homeownership.
“I enjoy working with low- to moderate-income families and helping put them on the path of creating generational wealth and particularly leading homebuyer education workshops,” Henry said.
“It’s wonderful to see people who came in feeling homeownership was beyond their reach leave knowing it’s attainable.”