Chicago, Ill., Jan. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guaranteed Rate announces today that industry veteran Joe Phalen has joined Guaranteed Rate Affinity as Senior Vice President of Strategic Growth for the mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY). Phalen, who has nearly three decades of mortgage lending expertise, worked at Guaranteed Rate for 10 years as SVP Divisional Sales Manager and Vice President of Mortgage Lending. His career trajectory included funding over $1 Billion of loans over multiple years, as well as developing and running the company’s sales coaching and event strategies.
“We are thrilled to have Joe back,” said Guaranteed Rate Founder and CEO Victor Ciardelli. “For over the past 18 years, I have seen his ability to be a great leader and recruiter and look forward to seeing him strengthen our leadership team and work with the top originators and real estate partners around the country.”
“I’m excited to have Joe join the Guaranteed Rate Affinity team as we aggressively pursue our growth strategy and deepen our relationship with the Realogy brands and our referral partners,” said Dave Dickey, Executive Vice President of National Production at Guaranteed Rate Affinity.
Phalen returns to his roots to expand Guaranteed Rate Affinity’s mortgage operations and bolster relationships with the company’s business partners.
Helping borrowers achieve homeownership dreams is something Phalen says he was born to do. His outstanding accomplishments in the profession stem from focusing on consumer advocacy and developing relationships with referral partners.
“I’m looking forward to working with Guaranteed Rate Affinity and helping bring Victor’s vision to fruition,” Phalen said. “I’m proud to work for a company that possesses such strong core values and a ‘winning formula’ that has proven to be immensely successful.”
About Guaranteed Rate Affinity
Guaranteed Rate Affinity is a joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy, which has funded more than $100 billion since its inception in 2000 and introduced the World’s First Digital Mortgage in 2015. Guaranteed Rate Affinity is also partnered with Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), which owns some of the most recognized and respected real estate brands in the industry. Guaranteed Rate Affinity originates and markets its mortgage lending services to Realogy’s real estate, brokerage and relocation subsidiaries. The Company also provides the same services to the public and other real estate brokerage and relocation companies across the country. Guaranteed Rate Affinity also provides unmatched support to Realogy brokers coast-to-coast, assuring their customers receive the fastest pre-approvals, appraisals, and loan closings possible, creating the ability for buyers to move quickly and confidently when purchasing homes in today’s competitive market. Today, Guaranteed Rate Affinity is helping employers improve their employees’ relocation experience by putting the customer first, providing the customer the ease and security of digital mortgages and offering low rates with loans personalized to each customer’s needs. Guaranteed Rate owns a controlling 50.1% stake of Guaranteed Rate Affinity and Realogy owns 49.9%.
About Guaranteed Rate Companies
Guaranteed Rate is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the Company has over 5,000 employees in more than 300 offices across the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and is licensed in all 50 states. Since its founding in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances and funded nearly $19 billion in 2017. The Company has cemented itself as the Home Purchase Experts® by introducing innovative technology, such as the world's first Digital Mortgage, offering low rates within an easy-to-understand mortgage process and by delivering unparalleled customer service. 2017 marked the launch of Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage. Honors and awards include: “Top Lender for Online Service” for 2018 by U.S. News & World Report; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide's Top Retail Mortgage Lenders 2017; Top Lender 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Chicago Agent magazine; Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years; and Best Overall Online Lender and Best Lender for FHA Refinance by NerdWallet in 2018. Visit rate.com for more information.
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Jennifer Zeidler Guaranteed Rate 312-379-3521 jennifer.zeidler@rate.com
