Lending Lakes & Co

The team behind every smooth closing.

A mortgage isn't one person's job. Origination, processing, coordination, communication — at Lending Lakes, each piece has an owner, and every owner is very good at her piece.

The Lending Lakes & Co team in Fairway hats

Founder & team lead

Ashland Alitz

Branch Sales Manager · Loan Officer · NMLS #1584948

Ashland founded Lending Lakes & Co on a simple idea: the biggest purchase of your life shouldn’t feel like the most confusing one. Since starting as a loan officer in 2016, she has risen to Branch Sales Manager at one of Fairway’s leading Minnesota branches — and in 2025 she personally guided 136 families home, totaling $48 million — and the branch she helps lead guided 963 families to homeownership that same year.

That work earned her national recognition as a HousingWire 2025 Rising Star and a Scotsman Guide Top Originator for both dollar volume and loans closed. But ask her clients what stands out and it isn’t the awards — it’s the plain-English explanations, the fast answers, and the feeling that someone is genuinely in your corner from pre-approval to keys.

Ashland leads a direct team of 16 loan officers, mentors professionals across Fairway’s national network, and is licensed to lend in 10 states. She built Lending Lakes & Co as a place where every buyer — especially the ones who think they’re “not ready yet” — gets a real answer instead of a runaround.

Ashland's full story →💬 Text Ashland

The crew

Who does what — and why it matters to you.

Olivia Swanson

Director of Sales & Client Strategies

Olivia is the connective tissue of Lending Lakes & Co. As Director of Sales & Business Development, she builds and nurtures the relationships that keep the team growing — real estate partners, builders, financial planners, and the community network that sends us the buyers who need us most.

She’s also often the first voice you’ll hear when you reach out: mapping your situation, matching you with the right conversation, and making sure nothing about getting started feels intimidating. If Ashland is the engine of Lending Lakes, Olivia is the one making sure every road leads to it.

Ella Krispin

Loan Officer Assistant

Ella keeps the front half of every loan moving. As Loan Officer Assistant, she supports Ashland and the originating team — preparing pre-approvals, organizing what each buyer needs, and making sure questions never sit unanswered.

For a lot of Lending Lakes clients, Ella is the steady, friendly presence who turns a stressful pile of paperwork into a simple checklist. Nothing falls through the cracks on her watch.

Melissa Smith

Team Processor

Melissa is the reason Lending Lakes files close on time. As Team Processor, she owns everything that happens between “application submitted” and “clear to close” — collecting documents, coordinating with underwriting, chasing down conditions, and keeping every party on the same page.

Processing is where most lenders lose days; Melissa is where this team wins them back. If you’ve ever wondered who actually makes a smooth closing happen behind the scenes, you’re looking at her.

Mikaela Kamish

Marketing Director

Mikaela has been shaping the look, voice, and digital presence of this team since 2022. She leads brand, social, and web design — which means if something from Lending Lakes & Co made you stop scrolling, she probably made it.

Her job is bigger than pretty graphics: it’s making sure every buyer who finds us online gets honest, useful, actually-helpful information — the same standard the loan team holds on the phone.

Molly Stenerson

Marketing Coordinator

Molly runs the day-to-day drumbeat of Lending Lakes marketing — content, campaigns, events, and the social channels where the team answers real buyer questions in public.

A marketing graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, Molly co-founded the Women in Business club on campus before joining the team — an origin story that fits a team like this one perfectly.

Ashlyn Long

Loan Officer · NMLS #2775645

Ashlyn is a licensed Loan Officer (NMLS #2775645) at the Eden Prairie branch and one of the newest originators on the Lending Lakes & Co team. She works with buyers across Minnesota with a focus on making the first conversation easy — no jargon, no pressure, just a clear picture of what’s possible.

She also runs her own payment-question hub at heyashlynwhatsmypayment.com, where buyers can get a ballpark payment answer before they ever pick up the phone.

How we work

Serious about loans. Not-so-serious about everything else.

The team that laughs together closes on time together. We take your money seriously, your questions seriously, and ourselves… moderately seriously.

Molly, Ashland and Mikaela of Lending Lakes & Co

Ashland and Olivia sharing a Diet Coke toast

Real clients, real reviews

Five stars.4.89 across 423 verified reviews

In clients' own words — from Experience.com, Google, Facebook & Zillow.

Ashland was absolutely wonderful to work with throughout our home-buying process. She was knowledgeable, responsive, and always willing to answer our questions. She kept us informed every step of the way, making what could have been a stressful experience feel smooth and manageable. We truly appreciated her professionalism, attention to detail, and dedication to helping us close on our new home. We highly recommend Ashland to anyone looking for a great lending experience!

Molly S. · Lino Lakes, MNExperience.com

We can't thank Ashland enough for her expertise, efficient communication, and hard work in assisting us in closing on a lake property (in record time)! Highly recommend Ashland and her team!

Melissa H.Google

Ashland and her team are simply THE BEST!!! If you are looking to buy a home I would recommend them 100%!! Great communication and they are awesome at helping answer questions and make the process as smooth as possible!!!

Wendy P.Google

Ashland's open line of communication was top notch and she was always available for questions and answered them in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Ashland for all your mortgage needs. Her team was also very responsive in assisting in our mortgage application and closing process!

David L. J. · Westby, WIExperience.com

Ashland is very helpful and knowledgeable. She went out of her way to individualize our experience with her and made sure we had all the information we needed to make a decision. Her little tips emails especially made us feel well taken care of throughout this process. We would highly recommend her to all our family and friends!

Dawn B. · Faribault, MNExperience.com

Ashland truly went above & beyond for my family to help us buy our first home! She was always there if we had any questions & we couldn't believe how fast Ashland & her team worked to get us our home in such a short time span! 10/10!

Ann W. · Saint Cloud, MNExperience.com