SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stearns Lending, Inc., a leading privately held nationwide lending institution encompassing Correspondent, Wholesale and Retail business channels, announced today the appointment of Brian Hale as Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board of Directors, effective May 21, 2012. Mr. Hale is a 35 year veteran of the mortgage business and is one of the most recognized executives in the mortgage banking industry. Mr. Hale most recently served as President, National Production Executive of MetLife Home Loans, the residential mortgage division of MetLife Bank, N. A.
Previously, Brian Hale has held several senior executive roles for mortgage banking industry leaders such as Bank of America, serving as its’ Senior Retail Originations Executive; Countrywide Home Loans, as President and Senior Managing Director of its’ Consumer Markets Division; Wells Fargo Home Loans, and Fleet Mortgage.
“We are fortunate and genuinely excited to have someone of Brian Hale’s caliber and experience,” said Glenn Stearns, Founder and Chairman. “Stearns Lending has achieved very favorable positioning as a national lending institution and is now prepared to enter the next phase of strategic growth and expansion with Brian’s leadership.”
In his role as CEO, Mr. Hale will work with Katherine Le, the Company's President, Board Member and 17 year veteran at Stearns. "Brian Hale's depth of operational experience at large organizations is a perfect fit for Stearns Lending's strategic vision. I am eager to welcome Brian to our experienced management team to both grow the company and increase our commitment to customer service in the years to come," said Katherine Le.
"This is a time to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities in today's mortgage industry", said Mr. Hale. "I look forward to joining Stearns Lending with its solid reputation for quality through its various business channels and participating with all of the Stearns associates nationwide to achieve even greater success in the future."
Mr. Hale began his career as a commissioned originator trainee. His rise through the various organizations where he has worked include holding national roles in compliance, branch operations, business to business, call center management, joint ventures, strategic alliances, underwriting, finance and national production. Managing virtually every aspect of the business at one time or another has given him a unique perspective on the business and the overall customer experience. His unique ability to recruit and retain top talent in building key executive teams has resulted in highly effective organizations achieving significant growth, market share and quality production; while creating a culture that continuously attracts top tier talent.
Brian Hale was named as one of the Top 10 Most Interesting People in the Industry by American Banker in 2011 and is a highly sought after speaker inside and outside of the industry, having delivered industry-based lectures at educational institutions such as The Fuqua School of Business – MBA Leadership Program at Duke University.
Mr. Hale received his Bachelor of Arts degree for Sociology / Business from State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Brian and his wife Pamela will be relocating to Newport Beach, CA from Dallas, Texas.
About Stearns Lending, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, Stearns Lending, Inc. has provided 23 years of exceptional mortgage lending services throughout the United States where licenses are held. Stearns business channels include wholesale, retail and correspondent lending; credit union mortgage outsourcing services; appraisal management services; and, verification services of 4506-T’s, SSN’s and Condo Project Approvals.
Stearns is licensed and approved to conduct business in 47 states with HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Additionally, Stearns is an approved Seller / Servicer with GNMA, the Government National Mortgage Association; FNMA, the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), FHLMC, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), VA, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; USDA, United States Department of Agriculture; and FHA, the Federal Housing Administration. Stearns also provides Jumbo, Conventional and Portfolio loan products.
Stearns is recognized as a Top 20 (2011-Q4) Residential Lender Ranked by Number of Loans; FHA/VA Volume and Wholesale Volume; and has become the 5th largest Privately Held Lender nationwide.* Stearns, as a company, funded $20 Billion over the past three years (representing 83,000+ loans funded “In-house”). In addition, Stearns has been recognized by Mortgage Technology Magazine’s “Top 25 Tech-Savvy Lenders” and Origination News in its selection of the “Top Residential Wholesalers” in 2011 Q2, Q3 and Q4.
The Company was founded in 1989 by Glenn Stearns and is a privately held company. Mr. Stearns received the 2011 Horatio Alger Award and was named Ernst & Young’s 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year. In addition, he received the Orange County Business Journal – 2007 Excellence in Entrepreneurship award.
Stearns Lending, Inc. is located at 4 Hutton Centre Drive, 10th Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92707.
For more information call (800) 350-LEND or visit www.stearns.com.
* Information provided by www.mortgagestats.com