Clayton Holdings Reviews

Pros

Good opportunity to learn the MBS industry in low stress environment. The education materials are endless. Co-workers are friendly and eager to help you learn. Solid benefits package and work-life balance.

Cons

Salary not up to par with the responsibilities of the job, similar positions, or even equal positions at other offices in the company. Supervisors seem distanced from subordinates at times.

Advice to Senior Management

Management said its performing a compensation analysis, but havent seen any results of it yet. Don't be afraid to actually pay what the position is worth and retain good talent instead of continually training new hires.

Pros

The benefits were good, and the work life ratio was good. I was able to learn a lot about the industry, and it will help me in the future.

Cons

I felt like there was much more negative feedback coming back in meetings than constructive criticism in reviews. I feel that there was more focus on speed than quality of reporting. I felt that all in all in the Tampa office that there was more motivation by fear than any other form of motivation.

Advice to Senior Management

I think that the leadership in Denver and Shelton are doing a great job; however, I think that the Tampa office could use an approach to new ideas, and an approach to help the employees grow.

Pros

You have the oppurtunity to travel to places around the world that you have never been too. You also get to meet people from all areas of life

Cons

Most of the time you have to work really long hours and there is not much guidance. You have to be a self starter in order to be successful in this company.

Pros

The pay compensation is great.

Cons

Contract could have been longer.

Advice to Senior Management

longer contract

Pros

Good work / life balance
Good benefits package
Good corporate leadership and investment backing
Company still appreciates hiring inexperienced college graduates

Cons

The senior management and directors do not seem to have a clear grasp of how to effectively manage the current market. Company is extremely reactive not proactive. Constant changes in priority make it impossible to accomplish minor initiatives in any other fashion besides the bare minimum.

Unmotivated workplace; people are coming in to pick up their paycheck and leave as soon as their 8 hours are put in.

Advice to Senior Management

Motivate your employees and provide strong leadership. Alternative methods like early time off or important side projects will motivate people.

Pros

Good, young coworkers who seem to have a lot of potential. Great exposure to the nuances of the MBS industry.

Cons

The compensation packages could be a little improved. Although this is also a reflection of the industry as a whole since 2007.

Advice to Senior Management

Accountability seems to be increasingly metric driven. This type of approach has its plusses and minuses, although in the end they seem to balance things out by accounting and recognizing things that can be more subjective and harder to measure.

Pros

Clayton offers fair non-salary benefits, and the work schedule is not demanding on personal life balance.  Those that significantly discount their drive for professional success may appreciate the routine and unchallenging nature of the work available to entry- and middle-level employees.

Cons

Clayton's managerial structure is significantly outdated and deficient.  Clayton lacks a mid- or long-term focus, and is very reactive, rather than proactive as its business model asserts.  Leadership is not bred at any level, and incompetent or out-dated leadership strategies blanket the entire organization.  Career paths are severely limited, with the average employee reaching a ceiling in no more than two years.Communication between employees and managers is not only limited, but is heavily filtered.  Those below the C-level positions lack the understanding that technical and leadership abilities are mutually separate skills, and Clayton routinely promotes to leadership positions based only on technical accumen.  Clayton is a sub-par firm that will not be a going concern if leadership and culture is not completely redeveloped very soon.

Advice to Senior Management

Clayton must become a modern company, and must be open to significantly lower barriers to communication.  Employees at the bottom are the ones with the drive, the energy, the creativity, and the solutions to Clayton's future problems, not autocratic management types that are coated through the organization.

Pros

Coworkers are young and generally easy to get along with.
Working here is a good way to gain exposure to the mortgage securitization industry
Small size makes it easy to get noticed if you want to
Located downtown, a pro if you’re into that. Nearly limitless places to eat lunch nearby
Decent benefits and time off

Cons

The company has been hit hard by the subprime mortgage crisis
Growth opportunities have virtually dried up
Moral is low
Budget is tight

Advice to Senior Management

Start by hiring only motivated individuals who are glad to have a job (I suggest looking for young people just starting out) and who are willing to do their part to meet the company’s goals, then treat them like responsible adults. Do not hire lazy, whiny troll-like disenchanted middle-aged analysts who are just looking for a paycheck and then have to implement babysitting policies for EVERYONE (internet restrictions, time tracking, wide-scale performance auditing) in order to ensure that the lazy analysts are doing their work. Dangle a carrot once in awhile.

Pros

Good benefits and opportunities to grow. They provide ample training and give good resources.

Cons

They're in a bad industry which is dying. The job is boring and repetitive.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you're doing, but the MBS industry is not one to be involved in now.

Pros

Use to hire a lot of people straight out of school, good place to start

Cons

Boring, repetitive work. Not good pay and limited upside. Promotions don't really get you to a new level

Advice to Senior Management

Provide better career opportunities for analysts to grow different skills