FormFree Founder Brent Chandler Reflects on the Company’s Significant Evolution Over the Last 15 Yea

Brent Chandler, the founder of FormFree, is a testament to the power of perseverance. Growing up, he pursued sports and running with an unwavering determination to achieve his goals. His insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge have been the driving forces behind his success.

Chandler attributes much of his drive to his grandfather, a Navy veteran whose sense of duty inspired Chandler to serve his country. Brent later enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he was drawn to math and science.

During his six-year tenure with the Tactical Air Command Control, Chandler delved into the world of encryptions and high technology. Despite his success in this field, he desired more, ultimately steering him toward finance.

His experiences in the Marine Corps cultivated his interest in basic investing, laying the foundation for his future endeavors.

"Like mathematics, finance became interesting to me in the Marine Corps," Chandler explained in a recent interview. "I did well with basic investing, and that's what I set my sights on when I got out. In those stages of my life, over-achieving, never giving up, grit, and then greed came in pretty early, which is perfect for Wall Street."

Brent Chandler’s Career Path Before FormFree

After serving the country, Chandler set his sights on joining "the best, Merrill Lynch" and landed a high-profile executive job on Wall Street driven by his determination and ambition.

During this time, Chandler began to explore the intersection of finance and technology, recognizing the potential for applying computer science to financial applications.

As Chandler delved deeper into the world of technology, he became fascinated by data utilization and analysis patterns. This newfound understanding spurred him to explore how data could be harnessed and applied to consumer applications, laying the groundwork for his future ventures.

"I began to see where data resides, how to gain access to it, and then make it applicable to consumer applications," Chandler explained.

Reflecting on his journey, Chandler identifies key themes that have shaped his path: service, mathematics, computer science, overachievement, and pattern recognition.

These guiding principles have propelled him to success and laid the foundation for FormFree's innovative solutions in the financial technology space.

FormFree Is Born

Around 1996, Chandler was a part of a team that built the world's first online trade on the web. For the next decade, he played significant roles with various finance and wealth management companies, from being a broker to online trading to other financial technology companies.

In 2007, a personal and professional need for change changed his future.

"We decided to leave New Jersey and our Manhattan jobs, my wife and I, and moved to Georgia," he shares. "During that time, we had two young boys, a fax machine, and a printer out of ink while trying to find a loan for a home we were purchasing out of state. I needed a loan, and the process was arduous, inefficient, and inundating. It was to the point where I could see a better path, which was using all the resources I had learned from my prior experiences with digital data."

He realized the traditional methods of assessing his eligibility for a loan needed to be more in-depth.

"My situation was urgent—I had a house on the line, my current home was unsold, and I couldn't afford to carry two properties. This desperation drove me to recognize a glaringly obvious opportunity. It was a pivotal moment in my life, where personal struggles intersected with the realization that the lenders couldn't truly comprehend my financial worth because they were focusing on the wrong data."

Chandler recognized that lenders couldn't "see" him accurately. They needed access to the pertinent digital data that could paint a more comprehensive picture of his ability to repay the loan.

This realization sparked a revolutionary idea: leveraging digital information to accurately assess everyone's financial capabilities. It dawned on Chandler that every individual's loan repayment ability could be quantified mathematically and empirically with the correct data and analytical tools.

In 2007, from his basement, FormFree was born from a vision Chandler had.

"Recognizing the universal nature of borrowing and the potential impact of this concept, I embarked on a journey to develop it further," Chandler explains. "This revelation began my mission to create a system that would empower both borrowers and lenders by harnessing the power of digital data to make more informed financial decisions."

The timing of the FormFree launch was less than ideal, he says. The country was in the throes of a recession, and he had to navigate a remarkably complex, highly regulated, fractionalized environment – "but I was undaunted," says Chandler.

"I just pressed on, and any challenge or obstacle that came our way, we worked through it, learned, and continued to grow but stayed true to our core, propelling us through everything. We believed in FormFree with all our heart."

Chandler's Tenacity Has Now Helped Thousands of People

FormFree is not just a company, it's a pioneering force in the financial technology sector. The company is reshaping how people access credit, paving the way for a more transparent and inclusive financial future. At the heart of FormFree is a commitment to inclusivity and empowerment and a belief that consumers should be in control of their financial data.

FormFree has emerged as a game-changer in the lending industry, offering a range of benefits for both lenders and borrowers alike.

The company is dedicated to providing tools like Passport Wallet, an innovative app available now in the Apple App Store and Google Play. The latest version of Passport Wallet is designed to make it easier than ever for consumers to understand their ability to pay and match with lenders.

"At FormFree, we believe in a financial system that serves everyone. By listening to our users and continuously improving, we're creating a more inclusive and transparent financial future," says Chandler. "Passport Wallet is changing how high-intent consumers who are ready for a mortgage loan find the perfect-match lender motivated to finance them."

FormFree Has A People-First Culture

FormFree's vision is to democratize lending, making it accessible to all without bias. The belief is that everyone has the potential to borrow and repay, and this can be quantified and verified. This vision is not just a dream, but a reality that FormFree is working towards, embedding it in an encrypted fashion to ensure security and trust.

FormFree has undergone a significant evolution since its inception. From the very beginning, the company was founded on a fundamental principle: prioritizing people above all else.

Recognizing the shortcomings of previous experiences, Chandler aimed to cultivate a culture focused on individuals rather than solely on the company's financial success.

FormFree truly wants to help people.

"This emphasis on people laid the foundation for FormFree's evolution," Chandler said. "Despite initial challenges in getting everyone on board with this culture-first approach, over time, those who embraced it became instrumental in driving the company's success."

FormFree has evolved from a company with technology and a great idea to one that has built extremely deep relationships at the highest levels with a service culture.

"I think that evolution could be deemed as, you know, where we started, we had to find our way and find the right people, and the technology did evolve from a big idea that was relegated to a component of the big idea and for revenue," he said. "In time, we could divest that component and focus on the whole. So, that evolution took place over 15 years."

FormFree Is A Change Agent

The company looks at the world differently.

"We focus on understanding risk at a consumer level, removing bias, and doing it safely and securely constitutes a meeting of a government mandate to serve the underserved, as well as creating disruptive market efficiency," he says.

At the core of FormFree's foundation is love.

"What love means in a corporation or a business is compassion, empathy, listening, and embracing uniqueness and differences; so, we embrace humanity and open up opportunities for the best fit for each team member," Chandler shares. "It's a ‘we’ thing, not a ‘me’ thing. It's an approach to embracing a mission and aligning to deliver against the state admission. When we do that, we have harmony, coexist with each other's unique qualities and embrace that."

Chandler says he's thrilled about the future of the company.

"By understanding risk at the unique common denominator of every loan, encapsulated in an encrypted fashion from the consumer, we believe that everyone will utilize a Passport application to generate a Medallion to receive fair and unbiased access to credit on a virtual scale in perpetuity."

What Is FormFree

FormFree empowers consumers to understand their Ability to Pay and share it with lenders like never before. Using FormFree's Passport Wallet® app, consumers can share all the core financial data required by loan underwriters — including identity, assets, income, employment, credit history and cash-flow data — in seconds.

Once consumers are ready to request a loan, they can anonymously share their data on the FormFree Exchange (FFX) and receive offers from a marketplace of lenders who fully understand their ability to pay, residual income and financial situation.

FormFree is headquartered in Athens, Georgia, and has emerged as a significant player in the fintech industry, particularly in the realm of loan accessibility and empowerment for consumers. The company offers solutions that streamline the lending process, making it more efficient, transparent, and inclusive.

The Passport app puts users in the driver's seat of their financial journey. It gives individuals unprecedented control over their financial data, allowing them to seamlessly connect their accounts and gain valuable insights into their financial health. With its intuitive interface and innovative features, Passport Wallet enables users to make informed decisions about loans and credit, empowering them to confidently achieve their financial goals.

One of the key features that sets Passport apart is its swift calculation of borrowing power. By providing users with a clear and quick understanding of their financial capabilities, the app equips them with the knowledge they need to navigate the lending landscape effectively. Whether individuals are looking to purchase a new home or refinance their current home, Passport Wallet is a valuable tool for understanding borrowing potential and making informed financial decisions.

**When asked where he sees FormFree in the next five years, Chandler said: "I believe FormFree will have a service that's available globally. Billions of people will utilize that, and we'll be a major player in democratizing lending for the world."