I’m Will Gandy, a mortgage branch manager with CrossCountry Mortgage in New Orleans (NMLS #93583). I’ve helped families finance homes since 2003.
I didn’t start out in mortgages. I studied accounting at LSU and began my career in state and local tax at KPMG in New Orleans. In 2001 I bought my first investment properties, two fourplexes, and the first purchase nearly fell apart. My loan officer never called. I never knew where I stood, and we missed the closing date. Two years later I became a loan officer myself, determined to be the opposite.
That’s still how I see the job. Everyone in your transaction hears from me every week: you, your agent, even the listing agent. When a file gets hard, I go to the guidelines and find out what’s actually allowed instead of stopping at the first no. Some of my favorite closings are ones another lender turned down.
In 2005 I opened my own brokerage and named it Advocate Lending Group, because that’s what I wanted to be for my clients. The name has changed over the years. The idea hasn’t.
After Katrina
A few months after I opened it, Hurricane Katrina flooded my home and my future wife Lorie’s in Mid-City. About a week after the storm, we paddled a canoe into the flooded neighborhood to rescue five cats and a friend’s wedding ring, a trip TIME reported on in September 2005. We spent the next few years rebuilding two homes and fighting insurance claims. I know what it takes to protect a home in New Orleans, because I’ve had to.
Working with your planner and CPA
My accounting background helps me work alongside the CPAs, financial planners and estate attorneys who trust me with their clients. When I explain my role, a football analogy works best: your planner plays offense, growing your wealth. The right mortgage helps you play defense. It keeps your costs low and protects your home equity.
And I don’t disappear after closing. I check in at 7 days, 30 days, six months and a year, then review your mortgage every year after that. If rates drop enough to matter, or something in your escrow statement looks wrong, you’ll hear it from me.
Lorie and I live in New Orleans with our two sons.
Credentials
- Branch manager, CrossCountry Mortgage, New Orleans (since 2017)
- Personal NMLS #93583; branch NMLS #1678577; CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC NMLS3029
- Licensed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Florida
- Originating loans since 2003; branch manager since 2012
- Accounting degree, LSU; former state and local tax professional, KPMG New Orleans
- 154 reviews on Experience.com with a 5.0 average (as of October 25, 2026), plus reviews on Zillow and Google
Your personal mortgage advisor, before and after closing.
Will Gandy, NMLS #93583. CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC NMLS3029. Branch NMLS #1678577. 802 Fern St Ste 301, New Orleans, LA 70118. Equal Housing Opportunity. All loans subject to underwriting approval. Certain restrictions apply. Licensing information: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org.