heard street ON THE
Our Heard on the Street column is a chronicle of events, changes and passages in the lives of the people and companies shaping the mortgage industry.
Castle & Cooke Mortgage Expands Into Connecticut
DECEMBER 2015 n National Mortgage Professional Magazine n
NationalMortgageProfessional.com
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Castle & Cooke Mortgage LLC, with 38 locations nationwide, has announced its newest branch in Columbia, Conn. an eastern suburb of Hartford. The new branch marks the company’s expansion into the Connecticut market and will offer a full range of mortgage products, fast home loans and exceptional service that have become Castle & Cooke Mortgage’s trademark. Regional Manager Jeffrey Heidtmann, a 32-year mortgage industry veteran, will manage the new office in Columbia. During his career, Heidtmann has helped more than 3,000 families turn their dreams of home ownership into reality. Prior to joining Castle & Cooke Mortgage, he worked as a branch manager for Norcom Mortgage. “I came to Castle & Cooke Mortgage to join a company with the same vision as I have for conducting business—prioritizing customer service,” Heidtman said. “Ultimately, our job as mortgage professionals is to help people realize their dreams of homeownership and to make it a reality, and I love it. It’s very rewarding.” Heidtmann will focus on expanding Castle & Cooke Mortgage’s lending footprint in Connecticut with plans to open three new offices by the end of 2016. He will leverage his expert knowledge of first-time homebuyers, refinances and purchase loans, as well as investor, construction and rehabilitation and government programs to serve Connecticut residents. “With its diverse housing market, Connecticut is the perfect location for Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Homeowners and buyers in the state can benefit from our vast variety of loan products, flexibility and reliability,” said Adam Thorpe, president and chief operating officer of Castle & Cooke Mortgage. “As a Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac seller and servicer and a Ginnie Mae issuer, we offer an impressive selection of conventional and government programs designed to meet the individual needs of our clients.”
Residential Home Funding Announces Marketing Partnership With Northfield Bank
helping meet the financing needs of home buyers and owners in their communities with products and services delivered with excellent customer service from our RHF team.” Along with having a strong history of serving customers, these organizations provide for their communities through the philanthropic efforts of the RHF Foundation and Northfield Bank Foundation.
HomeBridge Financial Expands in the Lone Star State Residential Home Funding Corp. (RHF) has announced a marketing alliance with Northfield Bank to offer residential mortgage services to their customers. Customers of Northfield Bank’s 30 offices in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey will have direct access to Residential Home Funding’s specialty mortgage services and a full range of mortgage choices for FHA, VA, USDA, FNMA, FHLMC, and non-agency jumbo loans. Other loan opportunities such as 203k Renovation loans and reverse mortgages will also be available, coupled with varied financing options. “Residential Home Funding Corp. is a respected leader in the mortgage industry and Northfield Bank is excited to make their residential mortgage services available to our customers,” said Kenneth Doherty, executive vice president and chief lending officer of Northfield Bank. “Through this alliance, Northfield customers will benefit from Residential Home Funding Corp’s dedicated team of mortgage representatives and full line of residential mortgage solutions.” Ralph DiBugnara, VP of retail sales at RHF, commented on the new partnership, “As a native New Yorker, I have known Northfield Bank to be a respected name in banking. I look forward to a long term relationship focused on
HomeBridge Financial Services Inc. continues to grow its footprint in Dallas with the addition of new associates to The Brandy Whitmire Mortgage Team, including licensed loan officer assistants Kyla Blassingame, James Balen and Randal Williams, as well as mortgage loan originators Stephen Lange and Wrayanne Wallace. These local area mortgage professionals are dedicated to providing the same high levels of quality and customer service in the Dallas region that HomeBridge is known for nationwide. In Dallas, Brandy Whitmire’s team is well known for its work with traditional mortgage products, including VA mortgages, but also has a strong reputation for facilitating construction-to-permanent loans and renovation mortgages, which are two areas of lending that are becoming more prevalent in Dallas’ diverse housing market. “What separates HomeBridge and my team from other lenders is that we offer home buyers and builders the national level resources they need, along with the personal approach they want when making major financial decisions. As a nationwide lender, we’re able to work with customers regardless of if their
needs are here in Dallas, or halfway across the country. At the same time, HomeBridge was built on the principles of quality and customer service, so each customer, whether they’re buying a condo or refinancing and renovating a home, leaves our office feeling as if their mortgage is the most important one in the entire organization,” said Whitmire. HomeBridge currently employs nearly 1,400 associates nationwide and is licensed to originate mortgages in 49 states, as well as Washington, D.C. HomeBridge’s overall excellence in the mortgage industry led to it being named as one of the top 10 mortgage companies in America by Mortgage Executive Magazine in 2015.
LendingTree Joins Google Compare for Mortgages
LendingTree has launched an integration with Google Compare for Mortgages, the latest addition to a suite of Google Compare products designed to help consumers make confident, more informed financial decisions. Google Compare now enables Google users to search for and compare mortgages online through an intuitive rate table experience, where LendingTree and its network of lenders, as well as other lending partners, provide customized rate quotes based on the information provided. When searching for a mortgage-related term on Google, consumers are invited to the Google Compare Mortgages page within the search results. After users provide a few additional pieces of information, such as loan amount and home value, Google will display relevant mortgage rates from LendingTree and other lending partners. And much like LendingTree, the experience allows for a comparison of rate quotes from a variety of mortgage providers along with ratings and reviews from LendingTree customers. “We’re thrilled to be a part of Google