Banker helped thousands buy first homes

Robert Wertheim, whose Charter Bank was credited with helping thousands of first-time buyers afford homes before it was taken over in 2010 at the height of the housing market collapse, died early Tuesday morning at Presbyterian Hospital after a long bout with cancer. He was 80.

Charter Bank, founded in 1986, specialized in selling entry-level Federal Housing Authority-backed mortgages. Wertheim, in a 2006 Journal interview conducted when he won an Ethics in Business Award, called Charter “a blue-collar specialty shop” that could have made more money selling high-end loans.

“I’ve always been proud of the fact that we do that,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful investment, and our people do it right.”

New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority Executive Director Jay Czar called him a “consummate gentleman and community leader. More than any other partner, he embraced MFA’s mission of providing affordable housing to New Mexicans. When Bob spoke, other leaders listened.”

Wertheim led many community efforts and served on several boards of directors. He chaired the Accion micro-lender board, served on the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, University of New Mexico Anderson School Alumni Council, the Albuquerque Museum Foundation board, and the Presbyterian Healthcare Services board.

Wertheim was born in 1933 in a logging camp in the Jemez Mountains where his parents operated a store. He was raised in Fort Sumner, graduated from UNM with a business degree in 1956, and after a stint in the Navy went into the mortgage business, first in Minnesota, then in Alabama.

He returned to New Mexico when he and a partner bought Southwest Mortgage Co. in 1976. That company bought Charter Bank for Savings in Santa Fe.

Wertheim is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; his children, Glenn, Helen and Kevin; three grandchildren; and two brothers. A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at the Cathedral of St. John at 4th and Silver SW.

Banker helped thousands buy first homesWERTHEIM: “A consummate gentleman”

Robert Wertheim