Dolores State Bank has hired a new secondary market lender.

Linda Davies has experience working in several banks and mortgage companies in the Cortez area, according to the bank’s assistant vice president, Shawna Valdez. She will join the team of lenders dealing with mortgages and home purchases.

Davies originally worked in the airline industry, but switched to the mortgage business in 1971 and stayed, according to a news release she sent out on Tuesday. She said her ability to empathize with home buyers is one of her greatest assets as a lender.

“This is a very personal business, so it’s important to care about my customers,” she wrote. “They bring me pictures of their children, and their vacations, and in a way, I become a member of the family as we go through this together.”

She said the new job will allow her to continue living her dream of helping people through the lending process.

Valdez said the bank staff is “excited to have (Davies’) expertise.” She will work out of the bank’s main branch in Cortez.

This article was reposted on Oct. 28 to remove incorrect information about Davies’ hire.