Arvest Bank is pleased to announce three of its community development mortgage lenders in Arkansas have landed on the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals’ (NAHREP®) seventh annual Top 250 Latino Mortgage Originators Report.
The annual report recognizes the leading Latino mortgage originators in the U.S. as ranked by the number of mortgages closed the previous calendar year, a sign of appreciation for their contributions toward the association’s mission of sustainable Hispanic homeownership. This year’s list was compiled from among more than 1,200 entrants.
Additionally, the NAHREP® this year produced regional rankings in addition to its national list for the first time. Arvest’s Jose Hernandez (NMLS# 564536) ranked 9th in the Midwest Region, while Omar Mejia (NMLS# 1165963) and Laura Andrade (NMLS# 1403043) placed 14th and 29th, respectively. Hernandez is based in Springdale and Mejia and Andrade are based in Rogers. The Midwest Region consists of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Full rankings are available at nahrep.org.
“NAHREP salutes the Top 250 Latino Mortgage Originators in the country on their success and hard work,” 2021 NAHREP president Sara Rodriguez said in a press release. “The success of the housing market helped keep the nation out of a full-blown economic depression, and the dedication of these mortgage professionals was a big reason.”
Hernandez’s 219 transactions ranked 88th nationally. Mejia (204 transactions) ranked 105th and Andrade (143 transactions) 207th.
The lists are compiled through a self-nomination process reflective of transactions closed during the 2020 calendar year. NAHREP reviews nominations validates data as needed. To be eligible, nominees are required to submit their individual number of closed mortgages to be ranked against other nominees. Nominations may be disqualified or modified where third party validation is not available or consistent. In instances where there is a tie based on number of mortgages closed, higher rank is given to originators with greater sales volume.