A Portage Life in the Spotlight: Chrissy Janusaitis

Chrissy Janusaitis has been with Centier Bank for over two decades. Throughout her career with the bank, Janusaitis has worked at several of their locations across Northwest Indiana.

After earning her associate degree, Janusaitis started with Centier Bank’s Town and Country location in Valparaiso as a management trainee. Upon completing the bank’s management training program in under a year, she transitioned to Centier Bank’s Hobart Strack & Van Till location where she served as branch manager for 10 years.

Following a decade spent at the bank’s Hobart Strack & Van Till location, Janusaitis transitioned to its Southlake branch to serve as branch manager. After approximately three years in the role, she felt called to remain with the bank, but within a different division.

“I had several colleagues that I was close with working on commission in mortgages at Centier Bank and they encouraged me to try it,” Janusaitis said. “I made the leap of faith and went to mortgages purely on commission!”

As fate would have it, this all happened at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. The timing ended up being both a positive and a negative.

“The housing market was really rough around COVID,” Janusaitis said. “People were regularly outbidding and paying cash up front. Purchases and refinances were coming in left and right so if the potential buyer didn’t make a move right away, they lost their chance for the property.”

On the other hand, the COVID shutdown gave Janusaitis more time to learn. As a result, she was able to gain more hands-on training in mortgages even with social distancing regulations.

Now, over five years later, Janusaitis is grateful to have made the move to mortgages and very much enjoys her career.

“It was worth making the leap and I’m so glad I did,” she said.

Born and raised in Chesterton, Janusaitis has lived in Porter County all her life. She is very involved with the local chamber. Currently, she serves as ambassador committee chair and vice president of the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce. Next year, she will serve as president.

Janusaitis also gives back to the community through volunteering with Habitat for Humanity where she mainly helps applicants apply for a Qualified Loan Originator (QLO). She reviews incoming family applications and assesses applicants to determine if they qualify. Should an applicant not be granted a loan, she offers advice for improving their application next time.

“This year, Habitat for Humanity of Porter County has three homes in Portage – one closed recently and there are two more closing soon,” Janusaitis said.

For fun, Janusaitis loves leisure travel, even if she’s not able to do it nearly as much as she would like. She also likes to cook. This includes making her own bread and a sourdough starter.

Additionally, Janusaitis has two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Sophie and Finley.

“I call them my fur babies,” she said. “They’re the best.”

Janusaitis’ work, community involvement, and long-time residence in Porter Country are testaments to her commitment to the area. As she continues to help local homebuyers, Portage and other surrounding cities will continue to expand and develop.