Newsmakers Making A Difference: Victor Ciardelli, Rate Foundation
Rate Founder & CEO Victor Ciardelli recently sat down with WBBM NewsRadio to discuss how the Rate Foundation is dedicated to helping the community through its charitable efforts. "It's always been in my DNA to give back," Ciardelli said. The Foundation has donated more than $2.5 Million to various causes that are important to Ciardelli. He was honored as one of WBBM’s "50 Newsmakers Making a Difference."
CHICAGO, October 30, 2018
Lisa Fielding: You could call Victor Ciardelli a homegrown success story.
Victor Ciardelli: I started in the mortgage business originally in 1992.
Fielding: Born and raised in Oakbrook, he's President and CEO of Rate, which he founded in 2000. Since then, the company has grown from 20 employees to more than 5,000. In 2012, the Rate Foundation was born.
Ciardelli: The original strategy was to really have a safety net for our employees in time of need.
Fielding: Soon enough, it was a way to help others in need. Like 30-year-old Caitlyn, who fled an abusive marriage.
Fielding: The verbal abuse escalated into physical abuse.
Fielding: She found herself without a home, without a way to provide for her three daughters. She found out about the Foundation from a local shelter and applied for a grant that would help her with rent clothes and other expenses.
Ciardelli: We can't change their life, but we can give them the chance to breathe, right?
Fielding: Ciardelli says so far, the Foundation has granted more than $2.5 million dollars to more than a 1,000 people in need.
Ciardelli: Every penny that goes into the Foundation, that’s raised goes to somebody in need of help.
Courtesy: Rate Foundation
Fielding: Today, Chiardelli meets Caitlyn for the first time.
Caitlyn: You’ve helped me tremendously. I don't know how many times I can say, "Thank you."
Fielding: Living proof of his company and his employees' philanthropy. For Caitlyn, the Foundation was her lifeline.
Caitlyn: I have my independence back. I have my freedom. I’m more confident.
Fielding: For Ciardelli, he says giving back is what drives him. He only hopes to set an example for others.
Ciardelli: I'd love to see other companies and other CEOs around the country do the same thing.
Fielding: Victor Ciardelli and the Rate Foundation. Newsmakers Making a Difference.
About Rate Companies
Rate is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the Company has approximately 210 offices across the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and is licensed in all 50 states. Since its founding in 2000, Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances and funded nearly $19 billion in loans in 2017 alone. The Company has cemented itself as the Home Purchase Experts® by introducing innovative technology, such as the world's first Digital Mortgage, by offering low rates within an easy-to-understand mortgage process and by delivering unparalleled customer service. In 2017, Rate launched Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Rate, Inc. and Anywhere Real Estate Inc. (NYSE: HOUS), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage. Rate won an American Business Award for its Digital Mortgage technology in 2016, ranked No. 1 in Scotsman Guide's Top Mortgage Lenders 2016, was chosen as Top Lender 2016 and 2017 by Chicago Agent magazine, made the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces list seven of the past eight years, and was named Best Overall Online Lender and Best Lender for FHA Refinance by NerdWallet in 2018. Visit rate.com for more information.