Mortgage Firm Unveils Program to Help Brokers Help Vets

Presidential candidates often fall over themselves praising vets, but now a mortgage company aims to help brokers better help these wounded warriors find homes.

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Tucson, Arizona-based ""Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp."":http://www.fairwayindependentmc.com/ announced Thursday that it planned to set up a ""Boot Camp"" training program.

Its mission: To teach Fairway mortgage brokers and employees about the challenges facing newly returned vets and the homeownership opportunities available to those who wear the uniform.

""The men and women who have served or who are currently serving in the U.S. military deserve our very best,"" Louise Thaxton, branch manager and director of the division responsible for the program, said in a statement. ""Our military and their families sacrifice so much for our freedom, so the very least we can do as mortgage professionals is to go the extra mile with additional training.""

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The Fairway employees who sign up for Boot Camp get nifty new titles, too. The program earns its namesake from the military mortgage specialists that will help vets secure mortgages.

After taking the two-day crash course, specialists will undertake a 90-day coaching program with Fairway that offers instruction on how to correlate needs with mortgage lending policies.

The company touted several benefits for vets who go through the program with Fairway, including competitive interest rates, 100 percent financing options, ""flexible"" credit requirements, even the ability to do without monthly mortgage insurance.

The announcement comes on the heels of a recent appearance by Thaxton at Fairway's third Boot Camp in Tucson, where the company, with help from the ""Boot Campaign"":http://www.bootcampaign.com/ and ""Military Warriors Support Foundation"":http://www.militarywarriors.org/, presented a wounded veteran with a mortgage-free property donated by Bank of America.

Bank of America presented U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Eric Griego and wife Corie with the keys to a 1,500-square-foot three bedroom home.

According to the release, a bullet passed through Griego's neck and entered his abdomen in October 2010.

""It's important for mortgage professionals to not only learn about the VA home loan product, but also learn the culture of active duty military and the unique challenges they face,"" Thaxton added. ""We should give 110% to these heroes.""

*Do you know of any other outreach efforts by mortgage companies to help vets?* Shoot an email to [email protected] to let us know.