In seven years, Brookfield-based Amerihome Mortgage Co. has grown from being a small retail mortgage origination company trying to establish itself to the 15th-largest mortgage banker in the nation last year.
To achieve that status, the company generated just under $1 billion in mortgage loans in 2003.
Amerihome president and chief executive officer Nicholas J.Del Torto and senior vice presidents Jeff Cummisford, Peter Georgitsis and Kerry Pastore created the firm in 1997. They intended to develop long-term relationships with their customers based on integrity and innovative, quality services. They also wanted to attract and retain employees with strong work ethics and solid experience.
The company has been successful because it has achieved those goals, Cummisford said.
"Also, consumers today are interested in selecting a mortgage from a wide variety of choices," he said. "We provide them with more quality opportunities to get the best deal for them, because we shop among 60 different lenders."
Another factor in Amerihome’s success is an employee benefits program they developed for their client companies.
"We provide home financing services to their employees," Cummisford said.
Amerihome also offers a pro loan program through the Wisconsin Carpenters Union, where the company provides fixed-rate construction financing.
"That’s been a big success story for us," said Cummisford.
Another key to the company’s success, according to Cummisford, is the company’s high-tech orientation.
"When we started from scratch seven years ago, we were determined to be technologically advanced," he said. "Technology today has changed our business for the better. We can now offer more products and offer them faster. Today, all of our loan officers have laptops that connect to the Internet. To get our loans approved today, we go to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and it only takes from 30 seconds to one minute to get the answer.
"We also have a Web site that attracts up to 20,000 inquiries each month. About 10 to 20 percent of our applications come from customers who are interested in getting the convenience of the Internet. Amerihome is all about people, technologies and products."
June 25, 2004, Small Business Times, Milwaukee, WI
