RightStart Mortgage, a full-service mortgage lender featuring FHA, conforming, ARM and refinance products, announced it will be expanding its retail branch operations to help meet the growing demand for purchase mortgage loans.
The company will be adding 25 retail branches, increasing its market area from 10 to 15 states, mostly in the Western U.S., and plans to grow its retail origination volume by 200 percent over the coming year.
The company plans to add three branches in Southern California in the next several weeks, followed by a branch in Hawaii in the spring. The company will be recruiting new branch managers and loan officers to meet demand. The expansion will be directed by recently appointed John Stangarone, the company’s retail business development manager. Stangarone is a 20-year mortgage executive veteran with experience directing similar initiatives for several large mortgage lenders.
Founded in 1989, RightStart Mortgage currently provides residential mortgage loans through its retail and wholesale divisions.
“Buying a home should be a fun and fulfilling experience, but as many Americans know, it can be challenging and nerve-wracking as well,” said Stangarone. “By providing services from within the communities where our customers live, we hope to make the process as rewarding and streamlined as it should be.”
“We have always taken a long-term approach to our business, and with the improving market, it’s a fantastic time to substantially increase our footprint and sales force,” said Buster Williams, president of RightStart Mortgage. “As more consumers seize the opportunity to buy a home, this new retail expansion will ensure that RightStart will be there to help them.”
In conjunction with the expansion of its retail business, RightStart Mortgage has appointed Jonathan Okken as business development manager. A 17-year veteran of the mortgage and financial services industries, Okken recently served as an account executive with CBCInnovis, a provider of mortgage credit and fraud products. At CBCInnovis, Okken was responsible for growing the credit union, mortgage banker and collection agency business. He also held management and sales roles with Countrywide Financial Corporation, Dollar Mortgage Corporation, Harbor Capital Group/Home Capital Funding, CBSK Financial Group and Manhattan Financial Group.
“I am delighted to be joining RightStart Mortgage and looking forward to pursuing retail branch opportunities immediately,” Okken said. “With a recovering economy and improving housing values, along with RightStart’s track record of providing competitively priced loan products and world-class customer service, our prospects for growth are very strong.”