AAG Unveils New Commercial

American Advisors Group’s Newest Television Commercial Features Noted Academics

Orange, Calif. (February 10, 2016) – American Advisors Group (AAG), the leading reverse mortgage lender in the nation, today announced the launch of its new television commercial. The 120-second spot, depicting reverse mortgage as a viable retirement planning tool, is airing now and scheduled to run over the next quarter.

The spot features noted academics David W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of finance at Maryville University, and Barbara Howard, MBA, finance; MA, gerontology and adjunct professor at University of Bridgeport. The two professors emphasize the importance of a reverse mortgage loan as a flexible financial solution during a time when traditional sources of retirement income may not provide enough financial stability for today’s retirees.

reverse mortgage newsThe commercial debuts as academics garner mainstream media coverage about a national crisis faced by older Americans—about two-thirds of seniors are not financially prepared for retirement. Financial experts are encouraging homeowners age 62 and older to consider converting their home equity as a means to help fund ongoing expenses, including medical costs and long-term care. The spot also highlights a reverse mortgage standby line of credit available for homeowners to use when they need it most.

“The new AAG commercial sheds light on how reverse mortgage loans are becoming widely accepted by academics and experts as a versatile financial solution to help seniors achieve retirement security,” AAG Chief Creative Officer Teague McGrath explains. He continues, “At AAG our mission is to help educate consumers on the advantages of this powerful tool, and the experts’ confidence in the product provides valuable third-party credibility.”

This is the first new commercial to be produced following the death of AAG national spokesperson Fred Thompson in November of 2015. The ad serves as a starting point for the company’s larger, multi-faceted marketing approach that will feature a complete refresh of AAG’s creative materials later in the year.

The ad will run across cable and national networks, including ABC, NBC and CBS. It can also be viewed here.

About American Advisors Group

 

American Advisors Group (AAG) is the nation’s leader in reverse mortgage lending. We are dedicated to helping American seniors convert a portion of their home equity, a largely untapped asset, to help fund their retirement needs.

AAG holds an A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, has a 96 percent customer satisfaction rating and is a proud member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). To learn more about American Advisors Group and reverse mortgages, please visit the company’s website at www.aag.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AAGreverse and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AAGreverse.

Reverse Focus Adds New Team Member with 
Emphasis on Strategic Growth



In their eighth year as the industry’s leading provider of technology, tools and training Reverse Focus, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of Elissa Shaner as Account Manager.

Elissa Shaner: Account Manager
Elissa Shaner: Account Manager

Elissa brings over 15 years of technical training experience, a decade of experience implementing software, and an impressive record of successful business development to Reverse Focus. As a technical trainer, she received accolades from Universities around the country and from companies such as Cengage Learning and HSBC. As an Account Executive, at Turning Technologies, she built some the company’s largest accounts, including the University of Washington, Boise State, CSU Chico and Humboldt State University. She is looking forward to bringing her expertise to the Reverse Mortgage industry.

“In her short time here Elissa has greatly improved level of service and implementation of new clients to Reverse Focus and Sales Engine CRM”, said company president Shannon Hicks.

“I was most impressed with her ‘raving fans’ approach to customer service”, said Eric Hiatt, Reverse Focus CEO.

Elissa is solely dedicated to assisting companies and lenders to implement Reverse Focus technologies into their business practices for growth and improved efficiency.

Elisssa can be contacted at elissa@reversefocus.com or at 1-800-805-9328 X2.

 

Bayshore Reverse Mortgage Celebrates Exceeding 2015 Expectations,

reverse mortgage news

 Announces September Move Into New Timonium, MD, Office Space

While the team behind Bayshore Mortgage Funding DBA Bayshore Reverse Mortgage (BRM) had every confidence 2015 would be a stellar year, the company’s performance completely exceeded expectations. Celebrating the success and preparing for continued growth, BRM recently announced that work has begun on their new spacious Timonium, MD, offices, with a September 2015 move scheduled.

To say there’s interest in Maryland in a company that delivers reverse mortgages in a fair and ethical way would be an understatement. In just under one year, Timonium-based Bayshore Reverse Mortgage has completely smashed all expectations both in the volume of work done and in customer satisfaction levels. The company recently announced their gratitude to all involved for helping them cross this milestone and that work is now underway in a new, efficient office space in Timonium better suited to meet the active company’s needs. BRM is scheduled to move into its new offices in September 2015.

“I strongly believe that our success is owed to two key factors,” commented Managing Partner Steven J. Sless. “The first is the amazing team that we have assembled. Every member of our dedicated team shares our genuine passion for helping seniors achieve peace of mind and a more secure retirement. The second key factor is our commitment to being a true boutique-style company. Our pledge to provide customized service, personal attention, responsiveness, accountability, and accessibility is what our clients say makes us unique.”

reverse mortgage newsBayshore Reverse Mortgage offers not only reverse mortgages but also diverse programs such as innovative seminars led by Mr. Sless and partner Ian Sandler. The goal of these seminars is to help educate customers on the ins and outs of the reverse mortgage option. The company believes that knowledge is power and prefers to establish long-term relationships with satisfied customers rather than see customers rush into a situation they may not fully understand or be comfortable with. This proactive approach has been credited by many clients who are now close friends as being a large positive of working with the Timonium-based company.

Reviews from customers continue to be overwhelmingly positive. Chris C. from Maryland recently said, “Bayshore Reverse Mortgage was really in the right place at the right time for my family. My parents didn’t quite understand a reverse mortgage, but the team at Bayshore took the time to explain it thoroughly. The end result is that they are very happy, and my family will certainly do business with Bayshore Reverse Mortgage again, as well as recommend them to our friends. Five stars.”

The new offices of Bayshore Reverse Mortgage will be located at 1922 Greenspring Drive, Suite 3, Timonium, Maryland 21093.

Bayshore Reverse Mortgage is currently expanding its team of dedicated professionals and is looking for top-producing reverse mortgage loan originators to join the company on the road to success.

For more information, visit bayshorereverse.com or check out the very active Facebook page www.facebook.com/bayshorereverse

 

Retirement Funding Solutions Inks an Exclusive Deal with Shelley Giordano and Longevity View, LLC

Giordano to Provide Training & Support on Financial Advisor Model

San Diego, Calif., June 2, 2015Retirement Funding Solutions (RFS), a Division of Synergy One Lending, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive engagement with Longevity View, LLC, a consulting firm owned by Shelley Giordano. Giordano will provide comprehensive educational training, sales, coaching and mentoring services to support the Retirement Funding Solutions originators

The firm has been engaged to collaborate with the Retirement Funding Solutions sales force and marketing arm to create a learning community. The result will be a sophisticated professional team able to deliver the powerful message that housing wealth may provide a more secure retirement for millions of Boomer retirees. With this specialized training, Retirement Funding Solutions originators will differentiate themselves. Their proficiency in both product knowledge and relationship sales theory will earn them the trust, and resulting referrals, from the financial services providers in their local markets.

Shelley has distinguished herself as the preeminent thought leader as it relates to home equity wealth and other leading retirement topics. Until recently, Shelley has been focused almost entirely on the HECM product as a viable retirement solution for the mass affluent,”

stated Torrey Larsen, CEO of Synergy One Lending, the parent company of Retirement Funding Solutions.

Longevity View, under Shelley’s direction, will now take a wider view on aging and retirement that impact the Boomer generation. Retirement Funding Solutions will work closely with Shelley in order to identify and address the ever changing needs of this demographic.”

Additionally, Retirement Funding Solutions will help fund other collaborative activities like the Funding Longevity Task Force. RFS will be one of three RM Companies that will have a seat at the table and be able to participate with this elite group of thought leaders. The members include Rita Cheng, CFP ®, Blue Ocean Global Wealth, Washington, DC, Barry Sacks, Ph.D., J.D., former tax and pension lawyer in San Francisco, John Salter, Ph.D., CFP®, Associate Professor of Financial Planning Texas Tech University, Sandra Timmermann, Ed.D., former Director of the Mature Market Institute, Tom Davison, Ph.D., CFP ®, and Wade Pfau, Ph.D., Professor of Retirement Income at the American College.

“The selection of Retirement Funding Solutions was both strategic and relational for me, as I have worked closely with their Leadership Team for the past several years. Even more significantly Torrey Larsen and I together co-founded the Task Force in late 2012. When we started, the objective was simple: develop an advisory board that could influence how the use of housing wealth was viewed by the Financial Advisor community by using quantitative analysis as the basis of our research,” explained Shelley Giordano. “I believe the TEAM has made great progress to date and the tide of acceptance has begun to turn. There is still work to be done, but I am seeing a significant opportunity ahead for the industry.”

About RFS

Retirement Funding Solutions is an operating Division of Synergy One Lending and currently lends in 21 states with license applications pending in 17 additional states. The firm offers a diversified mix of reverse and forward products through a variety of distribution channels, including retail, consumer direct, and wholesale to support its lending efforts. Synergy One Lending is a FHA and VA Approved Lender and is based in San Diego, Calif.

For more information on Synergy One Lending, visit www.s1lending.com. For more information on Retirement Funding Solutions, visit at www.rfslends.com

Retirement Funding Solutions Hires Alex Pistone as President

Top Industry Executive Accepts Leadership Role

Retirement Funding Solutions, the Reverse Mortgage Division of Synergy One Lending, Inc., has secured a top industry executive in Alex Pistone. Pistone has been brought on as a partner of RFS and will lead the organization as its President. Most recently, Pistone was Senior Vice President at S1L/RMS, where he was responsible for the firm’s national retail sales force.

“Alex has consistently demonstrated servant leadership throughout his career and he embodies our organizational core values. I am very thankful for the commitment Alex has made to RFS and look forward to seeing him reach his potential as a leader of a large, national firm,” explained Torrey Larsen, CEO of Synergy One Lending. “Retirement Funding Solutions will expand the right way under Alex, and the reputation of this Company will be built by Alex and a great TEAM of individuals who will contribute in unique and meaningful ways.”

reverse mortgage news, retirement funding solutionsRetirement Funding Solutions will be positioned as a unique option for Originators who wish to focus on the future of the industry. While at S1L, both Larsen and Pistone had a role in the formation of the Funding Longevity Task Force, which Shelley Giordano Co-founded and leads to this day. Additionally, the Emerging Markets Division was organized in 2011, which focused on the future of the HECM space; the Builder, Realtor and Financial Advisor segments of the market. Today, those segments are the focal point of every firm in a post FA environment. RFS has established a Strategic Initiatives Division, which will focus on the next phase of initiatives that can shape the future of the Firm and the Industry.

“I am thrilled to be working with a proven and experienced management team with whom I share the same principles and business objectives”, explained Pistone. “I look forward to operating a customer-centric company with a culture of teamwork, integrity, and respect; which will result in high levels of service to our customers as well as a rewarding career path for our associates.”

RFS is hiring now. For Employment Opportunities: Click here to learn more.

 

Fidelity Homestead Associates Receives BBB Accreditation

reverse mortgage news

FHA-BBB

CLEVELAND — The Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland (BBB) has awarded its prestigious accreditation status to Fidelity Homestead Associates, a contractor management group that specializes in home repair and restoration for the mortgage industry.

“We are proud to be a BBB Accredited Business,” said David A. Michael, Jr., President of Fidelity Homestead Associates. “It signifies our commitment to customer service, reliability and trust. Our acknowledgment by the BBB aligns with and supports our efforts of providing superior service in the marketplace.”

Fidelity Homestead Associates offers a wide variety of inspection, repair and renovation services. A BBB member since 2012, this is the first year Fidelity Homestead Associates has received accreditation status.

“Accreditation is an honor as many businesses are not eligible,” said Sue McConnell, BBB President. “Businesses that meet our high standards are invited to apply for accreditation.  Applicants undergo a review process and ultimate approval by our Board of Directors.”

Businesses seeking BBB accreditation must commit to the BBB Code of Business Practices. The Code is a comprehensive set of policies, procedures and best practices on how businesses treat consumers. These standards call for building trust, embodying integrity, advertising honestly and telling the truth, being transparent, honoring promises, being responsive and safeguarding privacy.

About Fidelity Homestead Associates

Fidelity Homestead Associates is a contractor management group that specializes in home repair and restoration for the mortgage industry, with a particular focus on FHA Reverse Mortgage pre-closing inspections and repairs. Fidelity provides a turnkey service with fast results, regardless of the location of the home or the size of the project. Processors and Loan Officers often need to assist their clients by helping them to obtain an estimate from licensed/insured contractors to meet current FHA standards for loan approval.

About the Better Business Bureau

BBB was founded in 1912 with a mission of fostering a fair marketplace and continues to be a resource for the public, providing objective, unbiased information about businesses. Reports on over three million businesses and charities are available at bbb.org/cleveland. A key piece of information that helps consumers make informed decisions is whether a company is BBB accredited. According to BBB, seven of 10 consumers say they are more likely to buy from a company designated as a BBB Accredited Business.

Bay Docs’ LOS Integrates with Premier Reverse Closings (PRC)

Based in Northern California, Bay Docs, a service provider dedicated solely to the reverse mortgage industry, announces the integration with Premier Reverse Closings (PRC) for title services. Reverse ExpressTM, a web-based Loan Origination System (LOS), continues to expand third-party integrations in order to provide the best services to its customers.

“Accessing services directly from our interface saves our customers time and provides a more seamless transaction,” states Megen Lawler, CEO and Founder of Bay Docs. “Our goal is to integrate with any third party service to enhance the user experience.”

The integration provides users with the ability to get specific title-related fees down to the county level. It also provides a mechanism for ordering title, communicating with the settlement team and downloading a host of other title-related documents.

reverse mortgage news, LOS integration“Technology and integration is the future for our industry and we are excited to be at the forefront alongside Bay Docs. PRC’s business is 100% dedicated to the reverse mortgage product and together we can alleviate some of the burden from our customers by removing dual entry, eliminating manual entry errors, auto-populating accurate fees and expediting turn times all around,” explained Megan Hafenstein, VP – Business Development for Premier Reverse Closings.

About Bay Docs

Bay Docs, Inc. is solely committed to the reverse mortgage industry and does not provide forward mortgage services. This dedication to the industry confirms the firm’s knowledge of the reverse mortgage industry and its commitment to their clients. Bay Docs was established in September, 1994, and solely provides document services and software to lenders and brokers in the reverse mortgage industry. Bay Docs prepares loan application and closing packages for lenders who offer the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), and can provide the document services for lenders wanting to establish their own reverse mortgage proprietary product. For more information, please visit us at www.baydocs.net, or contact Kathleen Leonard at kleonard@baydocs.net.

About PRC

Premier Reverse Closings (PRC), is proud to be the first national title and settlement company to specialize in reverse mortgages. Our dedicated team of professionals offers the experience and knowledge to smoothly close reverse transactions—correctly. Having closed more than 150,000 reverse mortgage loans over the past 15 years, PRC is committed to our clients and senior borrowers, making us a proven industry leader and truly First in Reverse. For more information, please visit www.PRClosings.com or contact Megan Hafenstein at mhafenstein@prclosings.com.

Bayshore Mortgage Funding Announces the Partnership with Top Industry Leaders

Bayshore Mortgage Funding Announces the Partnership with Top Industry Leaders to Launch their Reverse Mortgage Division

TOWSON, MD. — On Jan 5, 2015 Andrew S. Parker, Steven J. Sless, and Ian B Sandler partnered with Bayshore Mortgage Funding to launch their Reverse Mortgage division. They bring with them more than 30 years of combined experience in the Reverse Mortgage industry.

Previously employed by Maverick Funding, DBA Reverse Mortgage Network, and Great Oak Lending Partners, the men played a key role in building both companies into top 10 Reverse Mortgage lenders.

“Bayshore Mortgage Funding is very excited to add this division to our already growing company.  We have wanted a reverse division for a long time. Due to the nature of the product and the need to deliver exceptional service to our clients it was important to have the right leadership in place.  We believe our patience has paid off.  We are confident that we have found the best possible group to lead and grow this division providing our clients with the service and education that the reverse mortgage requires.” said Bayshore President Paul Jednorski.

“We are thrilled to partner with a company the caliber of Bayshore Mortgage Funding. We share their commitment and vision to grow a nationally respected reverse mortgage operation” said managing partner Ian Sandler.

Through their innovative live seminars and a direct to consumer platform the group focuses on the importance of educating the consumer about reverse mortgages. “We like to focus on education. We pride ourselves in listening to our clients, their families, and their trusted advisors so that we are able to show them how to customize a plan to live a robust and happy retirement. We are in the business of building lasting relationships with our clients and friends across the country. Our reputation will support the fact that we put our client’s financial well-being first” said managing partner Steven J. Sless.

Bayshore reverse mortgage is currently looking for top producing reverse mortgage loan originators and loan processors to help grow their division.

Steven J. Sless

8601 LaSalle Rd Suite

Towson, Maryland

(443) 901-7680

ssless@bsmfunding.com

 

Retirement Funding Solutions Enters Reverse Mortgage Industry

Retirement Funding Solutions Enters Reverse Mortgage Industry

Former Executive from Security One Lending Looks to Grow

San Diego, Calif., January 13, 2015—Retirement Funding Solutions (RFS), a Division of Synergy One Lending, announced today that it has entered the reverse mortgage business and plans to expand its San Diego Fulfillment Center in the first quarter of 2015.  Its business will be built through three different distribution channels: Distributed Retail, Consumer Direct and Third Party Originations.

“Our sales force will be made up of some of the best professionals in the industry, all of whom are committed to the financial well-being of the senior homeowner,” said Torrey Larsen, President of Synergy One Lending.  “We will leverage the team’s collective knowledge and experience to deliver the best possible service and value proposition to our customers.”

reverse mortgage news, retirement funding solutionsUnlike other reverse mortgage lenders, Retirement Funding does not have legacy asset risk, which can negatively impact the financial stability required to grow a strong, stable enterprise.  Many existing GNMA Issuers are dealing with write downs from its servicing unit and better realize the risk and costs associated with their servicing practices.

“The headwinds of lower industry volume levels and the implementation of financial assessment make it an opportune time to establish a new way of creating business.  The recent program changes have improved long term sustainability of the HECM program, so we look forward to building in this industry again.  It is our belief that industry consolidation will continue in 2015, but a few strategically designed firms will expand market share in a meaningful way,” Larsen continued.

During Larsen’s tenure at Security One Lending, the firm grew from a 4 person start-up to the leading HECM Originator in the nation.  The success of Security One Lending stemmed from both the TEAM of people that built the Firm and the Core Values by which the Firm operated.  This confluence created a unique company culture that many large bureaucracies underestimate and/or ignore. 

RFS is looking to grow its San Diego-based Operations Staff and is looking for the very best talent in both its Originations Team and its Marketing Department. For more information about employment opportunities or to apply please visit www.rfslends.com

About RFS

Retirement Funding Solutions is an operating Division of Synergy One Lending and currently lends in 8 states with license applications pending in 12 additional states. The firm offers a diversified mix of reverse and forward products through a variety of distribution channels, including retail, consumer direct, and wholesale to support its lending efforts. Synergy One Lending is a FHA and VA Approved Lender and is based in San Diego, Calif.

For more information on Synergy One Lending, visit www.s1lending.com.  For more information on Retirement Funding Solutions, visit at www.rfslends.com