Allied Mortgage creates hurricane support plan

Real Estate Weekly, Sept 22, 2004

Allied Home Mortgage CapitalCorp is forming a special "Hurricane Disaster Team" to provide business continuity support to AHMCC branches in Florida and the Southeastern U.S.

More than 100 Allied offices are in the paths of recent hurricane storms Charley, Francis, and now Ivan. Many are damaged or imperiled.

"Its not just about business, it's about peoples lives," said Jim

Hodge, AHMCC CEO. "We have an obligation to help them carry on with their business and preserve what they worked so hard to develop to this point."

Recognizing that many offices are likely to be without power, telephone, computers, Internet access or even a roof over their heads during mandatory evacuations and in the storm's aftermath, AHMCC organized a "Storm Disaster Desk" to provide temporary assistance.

We want all our employees to know that their family's welfare comes first during emergencies," Hodge continued.

"In the meantime, from our corporate offices, we hope to provide whatever reasonable assistance we can to maintain contact with their customers and facilitate access to the technology so necessary their business.

"During Hurricane Francis, we helped one South Carolina branch manager who had to evacuate an invalid parent and couldn't get to the office to pick up her payroll check. We saw to it that the money was wired to her personal account so she could get to it from an ATM," Hodge explained.

"I believe this is the first time a national mortgage broker has taken extraordinary steps like these," said Ron Litt, AHMCC Sr. Vice President.

"It may be weeks before these areas have any infrastructure to support branch operations, but our managers, loan officers, and processors will be anxious to get back to work.

"We also look to our investor partners to recognize the importance of providing an extra measure of care during this emergency as well," he stated.

AHMCC's Mortgage Mom(tm), Vice President Linda Litt, will receive help calls from branches in the storm areas, coordinate assistance for their clients, and fast track any needed support from investors.

"One Florida branch manager, whose office and home suffered major damage from both Hurricanes Charley and Francis called me on his cell phone, while on line to apply for aid from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency," Litt explained.

"He sounded pretty nervous, so I asked him if he needed money. He said, 'Yes, for my loan officers.' It took only a few minutes for CEO Hodge to approve an advance and wire the funds to his bank."

"Our most valuable resources are our people," Hodge later remarked.