FAIRFAX, Va. – First Heritage Mortgage, LLC celebrates its 25th anniversary today. Tracing its roots to Heritage Funding, which opened its doors in 1996 as the builder lending unit of Stanley Martin Homes. Today, First Heritage Mortgage celebrates a quarter-century of innovation, marketplace expansion, forward-thinking approaches, and staying at the digital forefront of home lending. The company is a leading direct lender, working with hundreds of real estate agent partners and dozens of home builders to help more clients than ever realize their dreams of homeownership.
Alex Wish, CEO of First Heritage Mortgage, joined the company in 2000. His vision of growing the company into a full-fledged retail mortgage lender has been realized and exceeded several times over. Under his leadership, FHM has grown from a team of 3 employees serving the state of Virginia, to more than 250 operations employees and loan officers, spanning across 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Wish credits this success to building a solid foundation of a positive and inclusive company culture, paired with finding the right team members who work hard and continually innovate to keep the company at the front of the pack.
“As I think back over the years, the best decisions I’ve made in leading First Heritage Mortgage have been in bringing the most talented and customer-focused people onto our team,” Wish said.
While 25 years is a momentous accomplishment, the team at First Heritage Mortgage is laser-focused on solidifying the future of the company, both for their team and their clients. A major component of the success strategy for the next decade revolves around developing cutting-edge digital technologies that solve employee and customer pain points.
“The lending landscape will change over the next 25 years,” said Phil Denfeld, Chief Operating Officer. “But what won’t change is our people-first approach. We already have the tools we need to evolve and stay competitive in a highly competitive industry: an innate focus on continual improvement.”
Denfeld said that key ingredient in the FHM culture is what has set the company apart up to this milestone achievement and remains at the center of what will fuel continued growth for the organization.
“We are looking forward to celebrating this well-earned accomplishment,” said Banks Gatchel, President. “But the entire team is equally excited about what First Heritage Mortgage will accomplish over the next 25 years.”
To celebrate the 25th anniversary, FHM prepared a video to share the company’s story, from humble beginnings to market leader. Additionally, throughout the week, FHM will publish interviews with its executive leadership team, revisiting the highlights of 25 years of success, sharing exciting ongoing developments, and casting a vision for the next quarter-century of success to come.
About First Heritage Mortgage, LLC
Founded in 1996, First Heritage Mortgage, LLC (FHM) is a leading correspondent lender and one of the largest privately-owned mortgage companies in the Mid-Atlantic, originating more than $3.73 billion in mortgage loans in 2020. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with 16 branch locations across Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and California, and a lending footprint that includes 13 states plus the District of Columbia. As a correspondent lender, FHM controls every aspect of the mortgage process from start to finish in a local branch, allowing the company to provide deeply personalized mortgage solutions to its clients and business partners. Learn more at https://fhmtg.com.
First Heritage Mortgage, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender | Company NMLS ID #86548 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org)