BANKING / FINANCE

Mortgage Banking Role: Eldorado Bank, meantime, intends to become a permanent player in mortgage banking, something that has been the domain of savings and loans and private mortgage bankers.

Typically, banks run hot and cold with mortgage banking, which is the process of making home loans and selling them to investors.

When times are ripe for that activity, such as now with the high amount of refinancings, banks go as far as setting up mortgage banking units. When times are bad, they shut down the operation and put their money elsewhere.

But J.B. Crowell, Eldorado’s president and chief executive, said his bank wants to cash in on the operation and stick with it. Having loan officers on commission instead of salary will help keep costs down as the market fluctuates, he said.

“You’ve got to know what you’re doing to be in this business,” Crowell said. “For some, it’s feast or famine, but if you know how to run it, you can last through the slow times.”