UNION HOME MORTGAGE ACQUIRES AMERIFIRST
Special to The Sun
Union Home Mortgage (UHM), a full-service retail, wholesale and consumer direct independent mortgage banking company, announced today its acquisition of Kalamazoo-based Amerifirst Home Mortgage. The combination will expand UHM’s national reach in key markets and bring together two leading USDA mortgage lenders.
In 2001, Cynthia and Ralph Thomas opened the Crawfordville office. It was Amerifirst’s first branch in Florida. Cynthia and Ralph will continue to operate the branch for Union Home Mortgage in the same location with the same contact information.
“On behalf of all our Partners, I am excited to welcome the wonderful mortgage professionals of Amerifirst to the world-class platform of growth at UHM,” said Bill Cosgrove, President & CEO of Union Home Mortgage. “Our company lives by the mantra of ‘Promises Kept,’ which includes promises to our customers, communities and colleague Partners. Today, I am thrilled to expand the reach of that promise further.”
Amerifirst was founded in 1983 by Mark Jones and David Gahm. The company has grown from a single branch in Kalamazoo, Michigan to more than 300 licensed loan consultants across the country with concentrations in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and California.
“We founded this company to make a meaningful difference in the lives of customers, team members and our communities. This partnership gives us the scale and ability to make an impact like never before,” said Jones and Gahm. “UHM has built a platform that is really unique and powerful in our industry. Coming together made all the sense in the world.”
UHM is a nationally recognized top 50 mortgage lender with more than $13 billion in responsible lending each year. Amerifirst will add to this total; the company originated $2.8 billion in 2021and $3.3 billion in 2020.
The combined company will have unique expertise and scale with the USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, which provides eligible applicants mortgage options requiring no money down when purchasing a primary residence. UHM has been the top-ranked USDA home lender in its home state of Ohio for three straight years. Amerifirst is the number one ranked lender in Michigan.