Meet the Team

At Team Gwen it is our mission to…

  • Never stop learning
  • Celebrate wins and recognize the contributions of others
  • Respond vs React
  • Bring positivity to every interaction
  • Achieve success though helping others
  • Earn trust and honor our commitments

Gwen Swain

Gwen Swain

Producing Branch Manager

Gwen understands that in this competitive market you deserve a lender who is ready and willing to work overtime to make your experience as stress-free and smooth as possible. Her team is available to work on your mortgage by phone, text, Facebook messenger, and email – even after hours and on weekends. From applying for a loan to closing on your home, they deliver five-star concierge service every step of the way.

As a top producing mortgage professional, in 2018, she was awarded the title of “Boise’s Best Lender” through the “Best of The Treasure Valley” poll. She also earned the title of Waterstone’s Rookie of the Year in 2020, as well as originating the most loans through Idaho Housing and Finance in 2020 and 2021.

Gwen grew up in Northern Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University in 2006. She then moved to San Francisco where she lived in the Marina District until 2010 when she relocated to San Diego. In 2016, she moved to Eagle, ID with her two sons, Carter and Cameron.

She is passionate about helping first-time homebuyers and families relocating from out of state take advantage of the most affordable loan programs available today. And, as a former business owner, she has an affinity for the self-employed and knows her way around a tax return.

“I was very pleased with my experience with Gwen’s team at Waterstone. She was able to close my loan two weeks earlier than originally planned and the communication along the way was top notch. She also personally attended the closing with us which was something I had not experienced in many years. Thank you Gwen” Tyler W.

Rich Hermsen III

Loan Partner

Rich Hermsen joined Team Gwen as a Loan Partner from the world of corporate business analytics in the technology and consumer packaged goods industries. His forte is building relationships with his clients and fostering a smooth and enjoyable lending process.
Rich enjoys exploring the outdoors, jamming on the drums, and playing any sport that is out there (golf is his favorite)! Rich was born and raised in the shadow of Mt. Rainer in Eatonville, WA. After graduating with his Bachelor’s of Arts from Western Washington University, he traded coasts for a Category Analyst position in New Hampshire before returning to the west as an Advertising Analyst at Yahoo, Inc in Santa Clara, CA. Rich and his wife started their family in the Bay Area, but moved to Boise in 2019 to raise their kids. He has two daughters, Sienna (5) and Sawyer (2).
As a detail-oriented individual with a solutions-driven mindset, Rich is thrilled to be at Waterstone Mortgage on a team that’s dedicated to going above and beyond to meet their client’s needs.”

“Rich was an exceptional contact within Waterstone. He was always extremely quick to respond and very knowledgeable. If I did have a question that he felt Gwen was better suited to answer (this only happened once, and was likely due to me being a first time home buyer) he was honest about that and arranged a conference call with all 3 of us. Not only was Rich responsive and knowledgeable, but I feel like him and Gwen were both genuinely excited for our family. They would check in on us to see how the house hunt was going and were encouraging. I also never felt pressured by them whatsoever, which helped reduced stress in an already stressful situation. The market being as competitive as it is in Idaho currently; I know our family was not their only customer, but I would not have ever known that. Offer letters were especially important to get quickly, and they were on it. So quick in fact that my agent even mentioned how quick Rich was to respond, which made submitting offers quickly much easier. I credit getting our dream home to Both Rich and Gwen and their incredible service.” Ben R.

Rich

Samantha, Loan Partner

Samantha Moncada

Loan Partner

Sam has joined Team Gwen as a Loan Partner.  Her passion lies in helping homebuyers navigate the exciting journey towards homeownership, ensuring they achieve their ultimate goal with confidence and ease. With six years of experience in the mortgage industry, coupled with a background as a surgery scheduler for an orthopedic spine clinic, she brings a unique blend of organization, empathy, and attention to detail to her role. She has seamlessly slid into her role on Team Gwen like she has been with us forever. Outside of work, you can find her exploring the outdoors, reading a good suspense novel, or simply enjoying quality time with her husband and three dogs. She is thrilled to be part of the journey towards making dreams of homeownership a reality for our clients!

Heather Coms

Mortgage Assistant

Heather schedules loan applications for our referrals and manages our client database. She assists with marketing campaigns and follows up with our clients after closing with first payment reminders. She also oversees operations for our Eagle and Nampa branches.
Heather Coms has over 20 years in customer service experience including an 18-year career as a Hair Stylist. She spent 4 years working in the title and escrow world, making her an integral part of the team. She is a real team player and is happy to help in any way she can.

Born and raised in western Washington, the PNW is in her blood. When she’s not spending time with her family and pets, she is probably having coffee with friends.

Heather

kat

Kat Alexander

Loan Processor

Once we have a purchase contract Kat works directly with the homebuyer to gather up any needed documents for our underwriters to ensure a smooth and quick escrow. She works with our closing department to send the final documents to the title company and communicates with all parties involved in the transaction.
Kat is an Avid Kansas City Chiefs fan and social butterfly. She loves spending time with her husband, two daughters and son, as well as friends and extended family. She’s also a killer karaoke performer!

Brian Maxwell

Loan Partner

Brian Maxwell has over 15 years’ experience dedicated to customer service in key leadership, management, and sales positions. With a background in Real Estate, Brian understands the home buying & selling process, and his priority is guiding you through the steps of the lending process, in conjunction with your path to buying a home, making the process as smooth and simple as possible to help you reach your goals.

“Brian Maxwell was on top of his, and our game 100%.  The communication, coordinates, and above all, the big picture was always there. Brian made the whole home buying experience as easy as possible. Also when questions arose, he was always there to answer.” Rigo R.

Brian

Kristen Barisoff

Client Concierge

Kristen Barisoff is the Client Concierge for Waterstone Mortgage of Eagle, Idaho.  She comes with 20 years of administrative knowledge and over 10 years of Office management experience in the medical field. She will be answering the phones and pointing clients in the direction of who to speak with as well as keeping the day to day office operations running smoothly. Her end goal is to organize and see people happy.

Kristen was born and raised in Orange County, California and received her Bachelor’s Degree at Long Beach State University.  She is married and started her family in Paso Robles, California before moving to Meridian in 2019.  You can find her taking her daughter, Olive (10) to gymnastics and son, Porter (8) to baseball.  When she isn’t carting her kids around she enjoys family nights full of music and singing and competitive board games.

Kristen

Jessica

Jessica Naylor

Production Assistant

Jessica is the newest member to join Team Gwen! She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Communications at the University of Idaho. Shortly after graduating from college, Jessica moved to Boise to get her real estate license. Gwen came to Jessica’s brokerage to speak about her expertise in the lending world, and Jessica was inspired by Gwen’s collaborative, resourceful, and incredibly responsive approach to lending – both with her team and with her clients. Jessica thrives on working alongside her team members by helping to gather documents, work up payments, and answer client questions as soon as possible. She has been working in customer service since she was 16, and loves communicating with clients and celebrating all the wins throughout the loan process.