New American Funding, a national mortgage banker, appointed Frank Fuentes as national vice president of multicultural lending.
Fuentes currently helps lead the company’s Latino Focus Committee, which helps improve lending experiences for Hispanic consumers.
In fact, Fuentes was part of a focus group who gave feedback on the new changes for the Hispanic version of the new Uniform Residential Loan Application form Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced in August.
“My goal is to make an impact on our industry, specifically within the Hispanic sector,” Fuentes said. “Much like the President of New American Funding, Patty Arvielo, we share a similar story: the story of first generation Mexican-Americans starting at the bottom and rising to the top by virtue of hard work, discipline and passion.”
“I’m very excited to share our stories with every Hispanic in the mortgage industry across America,” Fuentes said.
Fuentes will now work alongside Arvielo in order to push out initiatives through grassroots events, strategic partnerships and social media. He will also be responsible for representing New American Funding on panels with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
“We’re making great progress in elevating Hispanic communities through homeownership, and Frank’s contributions are immeasurable – this is how we mirror and serve an increasingly diverse America,” Arvielo said.
“This is what sets New American Funding apart,” she said. “We’re very proud of Frank, he’s an invaluable member our family-team.”
Fuentes was the company’s first Spanish-speaking loan officer. During his 16-year career, he worked with 3,000 families, of which 95% were Latino.
In 2013 he was promoted to his current position, vice president of multicultural lending.