First Heritage Mortgage Announces Banks Gatchel as President

First Heritage Mortgage Announces
Banks Gatchel as President

Banks Gatchel joins FHM with 29 years
of experience across the mortgage industry,
most recently serving as President of Lenderworks.

FAIRFAX, Va. – First Heritage Mortgage, LLC (FHM) announced this week that Banks Gatchel joined its executive leadership team in the role of President. Gatchel will support growth into new markets while maintaining the culture of excellence and friendliness that is synonymous with the FHM brand. 

FHM is expanding its leadership structure to support its award-winning and record-breaking team of loan officers and operational staff. Gatchel understands the company culture and what’s needed to continue this sustainable growth through his breadth of industry experience and previous working relationship with FHM.

Gatchel brings a wealth of mortgage experience and familiarity with the FHM operation to his role as President of the organization. He has worked in the mortgage financing industry for nearly three decades, starting as a mortgage support assistant. He later held roles in operations and production, leading to his positions as Chief Operating Officer at both independent and bank-owned mortgage companies. For the past two years, Gatchel served as President of Lenderworks, a consulting company that provides operational, technical, capital markets, and compliance support to residential mortgage lenders.

“I’m honored and excited to join First Heritage Mortgage. I’ve had the privilege to work alongside many of my new team members in my previous role at Lenderworks,” Gatchel said. “Through that close relationship, we were able to build on the services we offered and expand our customer base. I’m excited to pair my operational and production experience with the amazing culture at FHM to build on the tremendous success of this organization.”

As part of Gatchel’s appointment to President, Alex Wish, who previously held the role, will transition to Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Wish will focus on building the FHM brand and partnering with branch offices to support their growth plans. Gatchel’s and Wish’s promotions are part of an expanded organizational structure that will ensure FHM is equipped to provide outstanding support and solutions to employees, customers, and business partners as the company continues to experience exponential growth.

“I am confident that Banks will lead First Heritage Mortgage to new heights,” Wish said. “We selected Banks because we knew he is naturally aligned with the FHM culture and has the industry experience needed to succeed in this role. As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the company this year, his addition to the team sets us up for a new era of success.”

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)