Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based Freedom Mortgage is looking to hire 75 or more employees over the coming months for its new direct-lending mortgage center in Columbia, Maryland, to accommodate the surge in growth in originations in the region, a company press release said.

The lender currently employs more than 2,700 people nationwide and wants to add licensed loan officers, sales managers and mortgage processors proficient in working directly with consumers online and over the telephone to handle their inquiries and loan applications. 

Interested applicants can apply online or in person at the Columbia mortgage center.

This reflects the trend noted in Fannie Mae’s latest first-quarter 2015 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey, which showed that lenders are optimistic and expect mortgage demand and their profit margin to grow over the next three months.