First Option Mortgage Expands National Footprint

First Option Mortgage, a national residential mortgage lender, has opened four new offices in multiple states. The new offices are a part of the company’s mission to grow its brand.

The new locations and branch managers are in Ft. Myers, Fla., led by Whitney Hall; Corbin, Ken., led by Ben Minton; San Antonio, Texas, led by Shane Kelley; and Ashland, Ken., led by Tom Hobbs. 

“We are expanding into markets nationwide where we can add instant value with our rapid turn times,” said Fobby Naghmi, executive vice president, national sales manager. “The market leaders that are joining us are veterans of those markets, so the partnership is beneficial to all.”  

First Option has 24 branches nationwide and plans to continue the retail branch network expansion in 2021. The company’s model allows it to maintain quick turn times on each loan, which is currently 24 days.

“We have built a retail branch model that decentralizes the operating system, and it actually works,” managing partner Alvin Shah explained. “This means that each branch is responsible for putting together loans that work, which makes resources available in other areas to help with the flow of the file.”

First Option also does not limit the number of times an underwriter “touches” a file, which allows the process to stay on track. This is because any additional conditions can be addressed while the loan requirements are assembled.