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We have reached an unprecedented period in our economic history. Skyrocketing gasoline prices have stopped folks from venturing out, the backlash from which is causing huge deficits in sales for the retail, restaurant, entertainment and financial sectors. It’s a vicious circle: the more we worry about a recession or depression, the more likely we are to find ourselves deep into one.

Many economists define recession as any period where the country’s Gross Domestic Product rating (GDP) drops for at least two consecutive quarters. Since the beginning of 2005, we’ve experienced five such two quarter drops, none more dramatic than between the third and fourth quarters of 2007. While there was a slight increase in the first quarter of 2008, the continuing slide in the second quarter is reflective of one of the slowest periods in U.S. economy since the millennium.

A Depression is defined as any economic downturn greater than 10%. The good news is that the last one happened in 1938. The bad news is that times can be really tough without our going into a textbook “depression.”

The GDP is not the only indicator of economic slowdown, nor can it alone be the sole indicator of recession. Employment, industrial production, real income and wholesale-retail sales must also be included in the mix, as should real estate sales and consumer confidence. The bottom line, however you stir it, folks, is that our economy may not have stalled, but certainly has slowed waaaay down.

The mortgage industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors of the current recession. Since late 2006, 264 major lenders have shut their doors. I’m not talking about the little “mom and pop” brokerages. I’m talking national lenders, multi-billion dollar players like Washington Mutual, Chase, Bank of America, Countrywide and Citi, all of whom have lost at least a portion of their residential mortgage lending divisions in the past year and a half.

Gas prices are astronomical, companies are closing down, prices on everything seem to be going up and you, your buddy at work, your sister or your minister needs financing or refinancing for their home. Mortgage companies have been colored “evil” in the media for the past year, responsible for everything from the current recession to foreclosures to the neighbor’s dog crapping in your yard. Who can you trust?

You can trust Rivercrest Mortgage Services.

You can trust our 27 years’ experience. We’re constantly researching our industry to make sure our clients’ loans are being placed with secure lenders, companies who are going to be around longer than next week. To date, not one of Rivercrest Mortgage Services past clients have lost money or mortgage to either lender fraud or lender implosion. Not one.

You can trust our integrity. Part of the Rivercrest philosophy is and always has been to listen to our clients, find out what their financial plans are and help them into the product that best suits their needs. Sometimes that means telling our clients that we don’t think a particular loan is right for them, or that we’re concerned they won’t be able to handle the payment on this loan, or remind them that just because they can qualify for a particular loan amount, that doesn’t mean they should go out and spend beyond their reasonable capacity to repay.

You can trust our honesty. No “Bait and Switch.” Ever. No junk fees. Ever. No padded fees. Ever. No getting to closing and finding the rate is different than you were told or that the fees are two thousand dollars higher than you were quoted. We’ll tell you what our origination fee is and what our processing fee is, and those are the only two fees we’ll ever charge you. We’ll estimate your other closing costs as closely as we can and we’ll stand by our estimates. No surprises at closing. You don’t do that to your friends.

You can trust our relationship. I cut my teeth in the mortgage industry with some of the big boys: Norwest, GMAC and Bank of America. When we started Rivercrest Mortgage, our emphasis was on bringing a level of customer service to our clients that these corporate behemoths couldn’t match. I am proud to say that I believe we’ve accomplished that. If you have a problem after your loan closes, we’re going to help you take care of it. If your cousin is having credit issues, we’re going to help her, too, because you’re our client and you asked us to. Sometimes we’ve even referred clients to other lenders when we know they have a deal that can help that client.

When you call our number, you become part of the Rivercrest family. We take care of our family. So if you’re buying a beach house on the Oregon coast, a ski cabin in Washington, a condo in Hawaii or just refinancing your place right here at home, we’re going to take care of you. When you review your financial portfolio, we’re only a phone call away and we want to help you make sound decisions with your future.

We hope you’ll continue to have confidence in Rivercrest Mortgage, and when you talk to friends, colleagues and relatives, we hope that you’ll feel confident about referring us to them, too. We’re here for you and we’re not going anywhere. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Rivercrest Mortgage – your mortgage broker for life.