First Preferred Mortgage Company Names Mark Walker CEO

PORT HURON, Mich., August 11, 2009 — First Preferred Mortgage Company, a Port Huron, Mich.-based full service residential mortgage bank with additional offices in Bingham Farms and Southfield, has named Mark Walker as CEO. First Preferred Mortgage Company Senior Vice President Hale Walker made the announcement.

During a pivotal time of growth as First Preferred expands in Michigan and the nationally, Walker will guide the company’s direction of growth, manage the executive team and serve as chairperson for the Board of Directors. His day-to-day duties will include working with the president and CFO regarding production, as well as strategizing ways for the company to increase its warehouse lines of credit and expand banking relations. Walker previously served as president since founding the company in 1992.

“Having Mark in the role of CEO will be a great benefit for our employees, the future growth of our company and ultimately for our clients,” said Hale Walker. “He embodies our vision of unmatched customer service and this evolution is a positive move for the bright future of First Preferred Mortgage Company.”

Along with Walker’s appointment as CEO of First Preferred Mortgage Company, Vince Parlove has been named President and Sharon Smith has been named CFO.

Prior to founding First Preferred Mortgage Company, Walker served as the manager of the Port Huron Tennis House, which he still owns. He gives back to the local community by serving as board president for the Blue Water YMCA, committee chairperson for the YMCA program committee, and as a member of the stewardship commission for St. Mary’s Church. He currently resides in Fort Gratiot, Mich.

Click to view and download a photo of Mark Walker

About First Preferred Mortgage Company

First Preferred Mortgage Company has been a family-owned and operated company serving the Midwest for nearly 20 years. Founded in 1992 by Mark and Hale Walker, First Preferred is a rapidly expanding, full-service residential mortgage bank. It has consistently provided home loan, refinancing and reverse mortgage services while offering outstanding customer service as experts in the mortgage industry. A strong and genuine belief in the “customer for life” principle of doing business is what fuels First Preferred. Additionally, the company continues to take advantage of improving technology to make the lending process as simple as possible for its customers, recently opening a retail call center that originates loans via the Internet.

Today, the company has 145 employees and will close nearly $1 billion in loans in 2009.  For more information about First Preferred, call 1-800-700-5839 or visit www.firstpreferred.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Andrea Trapani
248.258.2333
[email protected]