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THE MARKET
Orange, California–based Ameriquest
Mortgage Company originates, sells,
and services specialty, first-mortgage
home loans. Specialty lending —
which provides mortgage loans to
people who cannot, or choose not to,
obtain financing from traditional
lenders such as banks and thrifts —
accounted for about one-fifth of the
$3.5 trillion mortgage industry in
2004. Ameriquest helped pioneer
this niche, and continues shaping the
art of accessing and servicing the
specialty lending market as the coun-
try’s largest retail first-mortgage spe-
cialty lender, and one of the largest
home-equity lenders.
Ameriquest is now expanding
beyond its specialty lending roots to
become a mainstream, full-product
lender for borrowers of all credit
backgrounds and financial objectives.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Ameriquest achieves extraordinary success while
practicing the highest standards of honesty and
integrity.The company in 2000 pioneered the devel-
opment of Best Practices to establish voluntary
standards for ethical lending practices in the mort-
gage industry. These Best Practices support
Ameriquest’s ongoing mission to make credit acces-
sible to underserved markets, help customers gain
a fresh financial start or realize a dream, and make
homeownership a reality. They also set new stan-
dards for all other specialty lenders.
Three years later, the company established a
Best Practices doctrine for loan-servicing opera-
tions, which focus on customer success and satis-
faction. These Best Practices have been hailed by
community organizations such as the Association
of Community Organizations for Reform Now
(ACORN), the Consumer Mortgage Education
Consortium (CMEC), the National Community
Reinvestment Coalition, the Greenlining Institute,
the Center for Responsible Lending, the Self Help
Credit Union, and more.
Of course, loan quality is paramount at
Ameriquest, as is the way loans are serviced once
they’re funded. The company’s loan-servicing
division in 2004 earned ratings upgrades from
Wall Street agencies that assess its oper