Forget location
For months now, most of the headlines have focused on the doom and gloom of foreclosures and stalled credit activity, but one area financial company offers a glimmer of hope, proving that in today’s market there are still companies not only making mortgage loans, but also turning a profit and making investors happy.
Fidelity Mortgage Lenders has been funding commercial real estate loans in Southern California since 1971, providing 53 loans during the past five years to tri-county properties between Camarillo and San Luis Obispo.
Charles Hershson, president of Fidelity Mortgage Lenders, said he’s seen success because he sticks to the more conservative, traditional ways of lending, carving out a niche for himself by providing loans to borrowers that other institutions weren’t able to fund.
“Fidelity uses investors to fund refinancing and new loans,” Hershson said. “And unlike most other lenders, we base those loan qualifications on property value rather than the borrower’s credit.”
Larry Frank of Fidelity Mortgage Lenders said Hershson offers 20-year loans with no prepayment penalties, which sets his company miles apart from its competitors, most of which have stuck with two-year financing.
“It used to be location, location, location,” Frank said. “Now it’s equity, equity, equity.”
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