CMG Financial is plotting a big move into joint ventures and the privately held mortgage banking firm has chosen someone with extensive experience at a well-known joint venture to lead the effort.
CMG Financial announced Tuesday that it hired Chris Harris as its vice president, national joint venture manager.
Harris joins CMG after spending 10 years with Guaranteed Rate Affinity, the joint venture between Guaranteed Rate and Realogy that markets Guaranteed Rate mortgages across the Realogy real estate network.
Guaranteed Rate Affinity was formed last year after PHH backed out of the project with Realogy and Guaranteed Rate stepped in.
Harris spent time with the joint venture in both of its incarnations, rising from sales manager to regional sales manager and overseeing the company’s relationships with Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab, USAA, and Realogy itself.
And now, Harris is bringing his partnership experience to CMG Financial, a growing lender that offers HomeFundMe, a program that allows borrowers to crowdfund their down payment from various sources.
And now, the company wants to connect with other companies in the housing space.
“Over the past year, CMG Financial has invested heavily in product research and development to find better ways to serve every home buyer,” Christopher George, president and CEO of CMG Financial, said.
“Our propensity for expanding pathways to homeownership is just one of the ways we help our partners provide additional value to their customers,” George. “Chris will be instrumental in sourcing new joint venture opportunities and managing the growth of existing partnerships.”
CMG said that it is looking to partner up with organizations that “mirror its values” and help the customer experience for all involved.
“Joint venture partnerships are an opportunity for CMG Financial to continues to elevate the customer. Brokerages looking for lender partners with a national presence, local expertise, and customer-first focus find that CMG Financial is the best choice to complement agent offerings,” said Charlie Rogers, senior vice president, retail lending. “We are excited to find firms that share our service-centric values and our vision for the future. With Chris Harris at the helm, I am confident we will continue to enhance our value to partners.”
Harris said that he is excited about his new role with CMG.
“Partnerships are important to me, they are how top companies become industry-leading organizations,” Harris said. “Throughout my career I’ve demonstrated the ability to build lasting relationships and establish joint venture partnerships and I look forward to continuing to do so with CMG Financial.”