Gwen Swain
Producing Branch Manager
Gwen began her career at Waterstone Mortgage in 2017 and quickly rose through the ranks with ambition and hard work. In 2019, she opened her own branch of Waterstone in Eagle, Idaho, and in 2022 opened a second branch in Nampa, Idaho. Today, she manages her own team of 4 employees, and mentors an additional 7 loan originators at the two branches. She has a passion for coaching and loves teaching valuable courses to local Realtors throughout the year.
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 until 2010 when she relocated to San Diego, running her own small businesses in each city. In 2016, she moved to Eagle, ID with her two sons, Carter and Cameron. Raising her boys in Idaho has been a joy to her, all three of them love skiing, swimming, and a weekly sushi night. Ever the extrovert, Gwen also enjoys many social activities around the area with friends and family, especially Broadway musicals at The Morrison Center. If there’s a charcuterie board involved, she will probably be there.
Gwen prides herself in her determination and grit – exploring all mortgage products to find the most affordable solution to fit any buyer scenario. She has a vast wealth of knowledge and passion for educating her buyers so that they feel empowered with their financial future.
“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 traveling with his wife, Erica, and daughters, Sienna and Sawyer, playing golf regularly (he is very good and that’s not just us being biased), and attending live music events. 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 Erica started their family in the Bay Area, but moved to Boise in 2019 to raise the girls. Erica runs the EverWild Forest School which the girls currently attend. Camping is also a favorite pastime for them.
As a detail-oriented individual with a solutions-driven mindset, Rich has thrived at Waterstone Mortgage and become an integral part of 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.
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 seven 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.
Sam was born and raised here in the Nampa area, a true Idaho local on our team. Outside of work, you can find her exploring the outdoors (on a beach when possible), 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 is often your first point of contact on the team. She schedules loan applications for our referrals and manages our client database. She is the liaison to our realtor partners, assists with marketing campaigns, organizes events and follows up with our clients after closing with first payment reminders. She oversees operations for our Eagle branch and assists with new hire training.
Heather has nearly 30 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 where she became familiar with many of the software applications and administrative duties that she handles now and has enjoyed learning and growing in her marketing roll. 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 and singing along to the radio.
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. She is a valuable member of Team Gwen with years of processing experience. She is smart, quick, and great with our buyers and realtors.
Kat is an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan and frequently attends concerts of all genres of music. She has appeared as an extra in a Hallmark movie, which we were all pretty excited about. She loves spending time with her husband, two daughters and son, as well as friends and extended family. Her kids take after her in sense of humor, with big personalities (especially her son who is the youngest of the family) She’s also a killer karaoke performer!
