Mortgage Master Expands in Midwest with Chicago Branch, New Hires

""Mortgage Master"":http://www.mortgagemaster.com/corporate/, a super-regional mortgage bank and one of the country's largest privately owned mortgage companies, announced it is expanding its geographic footprint into the Midwest with the opening of a new branch in Chicago.

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The company also announced the hiring of Brian Jensen as Midwest regional manager and Craig Achtzehn as area manager in the Chicago branch.

Both Jensen and Achtzehn are responsible in their new positions for attracting high quality loan officers and branches, expanding production volumes and market share in the Midwest, and providing low pricing and best-in-class service to borrowers.

""The Midwest is the perfect location for Mortgage Master's next phase of its geographic expansion,"" said company president Paul Anastos. ""Our expansion plans have always been predicated on hiring the highest quality mortgage professionals first, and we are extremely pleased to have Brian and Craig become part of the Mortgage Master team.

""Their significant experience in working with top industry talent, market knowledge, and their leadership skills will help Mortgage Master continue to deliver dynamic service and the best possible pricing to borrowers throughout the Midwest,"" he continued.

Jensen joins Mortgage Master with more than 21 years of industry experience, working most recently as district manager for Prospect Mortgage, where he grew production in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Minnesota. Before that, he was the district sales leader for MetLife Homes, where he expanded multiple branch sales teams. His career has also taken him through leadership roles at Countywide Home Loans, TCF National Bank, Midwest Mortgage Services, Inc., and First Chicago Bank.

Achtzehn brings 11 years of mortgage and real estate experience to his position. Prior to joining Mortgage Master, he held management and sales positions at Prospect Mortgage, including branch manager in the Chicago River North market and Sales Manager for the Midwest region. Previously, he worked for Wintrust Mortgage as a senior loan consultant and was VP at Guaranteed Rate.

""I am thrilled to be joining Mortgage Master as it begins its 25th year as a responsible mortgage lender,"" Jensen said. ""We are off to a great start by adding Craig to lead our key Chicago branch and we just hired a top Operations Manager to build out a high quality operations team in the Chicago area. We believe it is critical to our success to have a quality operations team in place locally to partner with our loan officers throughout the Midwest.""