Ameritrust Moves Corporate Offices from Ballantyne; Adds New Business Units in Strategic Bid

Charlotte, N.C. ‐ At a time when many mortgage companies are looking for ways to outsource service, downsize product offerings and cut their workforce, Charlotte‐based Ameritrust is expanding, hiring and
announcing a major move.

The 70‐person office has moved from its home in Ballantyne Corporate Park to open in its new location on Old Lancaster Highway, in the building that Red Ventures vacated in October 2009.

The move is to accommodate the addition of two new businesses: Ameritrust Insurance Services and Ameritrust Wealth Management. Eric Frasier, an 18‐year veteran of the financial services industry will serve as the president of both business units.

The new companies will offer personalized financial planning services, which will include; asset management, retirement planning, and tax and estate planning – as well as complete property and casualty lines of business. CEO John Owens says the move is an important part of Ameritrust’s strategic shift to offer its clients a broader range of services with its hallmark “customer centric” values.

Says new partner Eric Frasier, “We did our research and were pleased to see we are on the cutting‐edge by consolidating these key services in one location. The new offices and business units offer sound processes designed to streamline, simplify and make life easy for our clients.

Ameritrust’s three divisions will be the only occupants of the 17,000 square foot space. The company is currently hiring for all three divisions, growing to what Owens projects will be 150 employees by the end of 2010.

Founded in 1995, Ameritrust grew to one of the largest privately‐owned wholesale mortgage companies in the country. In 2007, Ameritrust opened a new retail mortgage company that has seen three consecutive years of growth. Owens says the current move marks another strategic surge. “We saw a huge opportunity to innovate, increase our client service, create a great partnership, and give our employees a fresh climate to start this new chapter of our company.”

Tim Hilton, partner and COO of Ameritrust Mortgage says “our expansion will provide new jobs and opportunities. We’ve increased our warehouse lines, hired a new VP of Marketing, and a new programmer for advanced data mining. These changes have opened opportunities to hire another 45
experienced loan officers to meet demand.”

Owens says that the company’s big plays have breathed new energy into the company, his team and the market. “A large part of this plan, including the move ‐ was for the people who have worked so hard to keep our team strong, and to keep providing best‐of‐class service to our customers. This is an exciting time for us to grow together, and help our clients regain the confidence, growth and optimism in their whole financial picture.”

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About Ameritrust:
The Ameritrust Family of Companies are headquartered in Charlotte, NC and includes Ameritrust Mortgage Inc, a nationally‐recognized residential mortgage company; Ameritrust Insurance; and Ameritrust Wealth. The Ameritrust brand is dedicated to improving the lives of customers by delivering solutions with professional and friendly advisement, efficient processing and secure, easy‐to‐use technology. For more information about Ameritrist, visit www.ameritrust.com; Please direct inquiries or press requests to Susanne Deitzel: email [email protected], or call 704.293.5312.