IRVING, Texas, June 22, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- As national lenders compete for their share of the growing non-prime market, the mortgage broker's role in the mortgage arena has become top priority. Currently, brokers originate more than 60 percent of all home loans, both prime and non-prime. In response to these trends, national mortgage lender First Horizon recently introduced FAMUS: an automated loan engine designed specifically for brokers originating non-prime loans.
First Horizon Home Loan Corp. is part of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN).
FAMUS, an acronym for First Horizon Automated Mortgage Underwriting System, is a pre-qualification tool accessible to First Horizon's wholesale broker associates 24 hours a day, providing the tools they need consistently and reliably. In addition to faster loan pre-qualifications without manual pre-grading, brokers can log into www.famus.com to view their loan pipelines, request credit reports, compare and optimize loan programs and download applicants' loan information from front-end Loan Origination System or FannieMae(r) 3.2 formatted files.
John McGuire, division president of First Horizon Lending Center, explained the dynamic benefits FAMUS offers. "This loan engine was designed to provide our brokers with the means to provide homebuyers with faster service and better rates,' he said. "Since FAMUS helps lower our internal operating costs by increasing efficiency and productivity, these savings will be reflected in better wholesale prices. This will, in turn, enable us to offer increasingly competitive loan pricing to our valued broker associates."
Other FAMUS features include identification of products and pricing, plus options for customizing loans and viewing rate options. Brokers will also be offered alternative program recommendations so they can offer their clients multiple programs that best meet their mortgage needs.
Ron Booth, president of First Horizon Non-Prime Lending, said, "With the release of FAMUS, First Horizon's non-prime brokers can get real-time underwriting feedback as they work with their borrowers. We are excited about this technology and what it can bring in the future."
About First Horizon
Headquartered in Irving (Dallas), Texas, First Horizon Home Loan Corp. is a leader in mortgage banking, ranking 15th in servicing with $95.28 billion volume and 20th in originations with $43.03 billion volume as of December 31, 2005.
The 13,000 employees of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN) provide financial services to individuals and business customers through hundreds of offices located in more than 40 states. The corporation's three major brands -- FTN Financial, First Horizon and First Tennessee -- provide customers with a broad range of products and services, including:
-- Capital markets, one of the nation's top underwriters of U.S.
government agency securities
-- Mortgage banking, one of the nation's top 20 mortgage
originators and top 15 servicers, which earned a top-10
ranking in customer satisfaction from J.D. Power and Associates
-- Retail/commercial banking, with the largest market share in
Tennessee and one of the highest customer retention rates of
any bank in the country
FHN companies have been recognized as some of the nation's best employers by AARP, Working Mother and Fortune magazines. FHN also was named one of the nation's 100 best corporate citizens by Business Ethics magazine. More information can be found at www.fhnc.com.