Cornerstone Home Lending Looks to Turn Southern Dallas Renters Into Homeowners

By Patrick Washington | The Dallas Weekly

For many Southern Dallas residents, the biggest obstacle to homeownership may begin before they ever fill out a mortgage application.

It is the belief that they simply will not qualify.

Mark Dinkins, Regional Senior Vice President with Cornerstone Home Lending, says changing that assumption is part of the work his community lending team is trying to accomplish.

Rather than treating a mortgage application as a simple “yes” or “no” decision, Dinkins said his team attempts to give prospective homeowners a roadmap for getting from where they are financially to where they need to be to qualify.

That approach can be particularly important in communities where homeownership has not historically been the norm.

“The mortgage process is inherently intimidating,” Dinkins explained during an interview with The Dallas Weekly, particularly for people who grew up in families that rented rather than owned homes.

Dinkins has spent 15 years with Cornerstone Home Lending, a division of Cornerstone Capital Bank. He now leads a team established in 2024 specifically focused on community lending in low-to-moderate-income and majority-minority communities.

Getting Past the Myths

Among the misconceptions Dinkins encounters is the idea that buying a home requires a 20% down payment.

Credit scores are another source of anxiety.

Instead of assuming either obstacle automatically eliminates someone from homeownership, Dinkins said prospective buyers should find out what options are actually available to them.

Cornerstone’s community lending team works with resources that include grant programs and down-payment assistance as well as credit simulation tools that can identify specific actions a borrower can take to improve their financial position.

In some cases, those credit strategies can produce results relatively quickly.

Dinkins described one Mansfield-area client who entered the process with financial issues that needed to be addressed. After receiving a personalized credit simulation plan and working through the recommended steps, the client was able to become a homeowner within approximately 90 days.

The lesson, Dinkins said, is not that everyone can become mortgage-ready in 90 days. It is that people should determine what their individual path looks like before deciding homeownership is impossible.

Lending in Communities Historically Denied Credit

That conversation carries additional weight in Southern Dallas.

Generations of Black families across the country were affected by redlining and discriminatory lending practices that restricted access to mortgages, homeownership and the wealth-building opportunities associated with owning property.

Asked about that history and continued disinvestment in Southern Dallas, Dinkins said addressing the problem requires measurable action rather than simply discussing it.

He pointed to Cornerstone’s Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data as evidence of the company’s recent efforts.

According to figures Dinkins provided during the interview, Cornerstone’s community lending penetration in majority-minority and low-to-moderate-income communities increased from 35% in 2024 to 80% in 2025.

The team received approximately 1,300 loan applications in 2025 and approved 863, or roughly 65%.

Dinkins also reported a closing conversion rate of approximately 17%. While acknowledging that number is below broader industry averages, he said the community lending initiative measures its work partly by whether applicants who aren’t immediately ready to close leave the process with a path toward eventually qualifying.

That philosophy also aligns with Cornerstone’s stated commitment to making its services available fairly within the communities it serves.

The Affordability Problem

Qualifying for a mortgage, however, is only part of the challenge.

The price of the house itself remains a significant hurdle.

Cornerstone has worked with developers including Matthews Southwest on efforts to produce homes at prices closer to what working families can afford. Dinkins pointed to the Mill City 50 development, where 50 homes were constructed with prices capped at approximately $275,000.

The average loan amount handled by Cornerstone’s community lending team is approximately $250,000, according to Dinkins. Down-payment assistance and other programs can then become important tools for closing the gap between what buyers have available and what purchasing a home requires.

Cornerstone also works with organizations including Southern Dallas Progress and Watermark Community Development to provide financial education and mentorship beyond mortgage lending. Topics can range from purchasing a home and saving money to starting a business.

The objective, according to Dinkins, is to make sure residents at least know where to begin.

Start With a Conversation

That may be especially important for prospective buyers with steady employment but imperfect credit, existing debt or little money saved.

Dinkins’ advice is straightforward: don’t disqualify yourself.

A potential buyer may need several months—or longer—to become mortgage-ready. Credit may need to be repaired. Debt may need to be reduced. Savings may need to increase. Assistance programs may need to be identified.

But those are different circumstances than homeownership being impossible.

Cornerstone says its expanded lending resources include special-purpose credit programs and access to different investors and lending solutions designed to address borrowers with varying financial circumstances.

The first step, Dinkins said, is allowing someone to examine the individual’s situation and develop a plan.

Southern Dallas residents will have an opportunity to begin some of those conversations during the 2026 Southern Dallas Home Ownership Fair.

Cornerstone will participate in the event, which is scheduled to include several panel discussions between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Prospective homeowners will be able to speak directly with lenders and other housing-industry professionals about credit, down payments and other questions surrounding the home-buying process.

For Dinkins, the message to someone who has spent years believing a house is financially beyond their reach ultimately comes back to mindset.

There may not be an immediate solution to every financial problem, and the road to qualification will not be the same for every borrower. But Dinkins argues that prospective homeowners should find out what that road actually requires before deciding they cannot travel it.

Sometimes the difference between a renter and a future homeowner begins with knowing there is a path—and asking someone to show you where it starts.