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LOCAL EDITION ORIGINATION Brentwood Bank Launches 'Relationship Banking' Unit SEEKING BETTER OPPORTUNI- TIES WITH SMALL TO MID-SIZED BUSINESSES, THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTION CREATES A NEW DIVISION. PENNSYLVANIA // In Pennsylvania, Brentwood Bank is launching a consumer-focused division targeting small to mid- sized businesses. The financial institution recently announced the addition of its Relationship Banking Unit, which will be dedicated to securing opportuni- ties for the bank within the local business community. Through its new segment, Brentwood Bank will provide a "relationship banker" for bor- rowers and customers, ensuring that the same professional will handle the client's needs during the lifespan of the consumer's transactions. Each relationship banker will serve as a full-ser- vice banking and loan profes- sional for clients within the unit. Brentwood Bank utilized personnel from within the commercial and retail banking divisions to form the unit, and additionally, the company hired one new staffer to augment the existing personnel, adding Betty Karleski to the unit. Karleski comes from a non-banking back- ground, previously working as a professional in the healthcare field, but her reputation as an expert in relationship building and management influenced the bank's decision to hire her as part of its new team. Thomas Bailey, president and CEO of Brentwood Bank, commented on the company's divisional expansion, stating, "Although nearly every bank says that it has some form of relation- ship banking, what we believe sets Brentwood Bank apart is our singular focus on being engaged in the communities we serve. Unlike the structure of large national banks, our relationship banking professionals provide a 44 | THE M REPORT true full-service experience to our customers. The relationship man- ager will provide a one-stop shop our customers desire, facilitating each customers' needs—from asset management to loan services to remote deposit." Bailey went on to add, "We believe we have the right team of people to best serve our customers and continue to grow our Relationship Banking Unit. We are taking what we do best—serving the communities in recently that it planned to axe 804 employees at two office loca- tions last month as it exits the forward mortgage origination business. The life insurer filed a no- tice of layoff with the Texas Workforce Commission and mayor of Irving, saying it would "permanently" terminate 600 employees at offices off Horizon Way and 204 off Walnut Lane. Lynne DiStassio, VP with MetLife, said in the notice that the new loans and accepting ap- plications in January, when it also first announced the layoff of some 800 employees. John Calagna, a spokesman for the company, says that "there has been some significant interest to hire some of these employees by other mortgage companies and financial services companies" since the announce- ments. MetLife said then that it expected costs to fall anywhere between $90 million and $110 million after taxes. The life insurer announced its departure from mortgage originations in October last year, citing "today's uncertain market- place and regulatory environ- ment" as reasons why. Independent Lender Shows Strong End to the Year FAIRWAY INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE CORP. RELEASED POSITIVE YEAR-END DATA REVEALING THE COMPANY'S SECOND HIGHEST ANNUAL TOTAL FOR LOAN VOLUME. which we operate—and creating opportunities for our customers to grow their business." MetLife Cuts More Than 800 Jobs in the Southwest LAYOFFS BEGIN AT TWO TEXAS-BASED METLIFE LOCA- TIONS, WITH 600 EMPLOYEES EXPECTED TO BE "PERMA- NENTLY" TERMINATED. TEXAS // Life insurer MetLife notified Texas authorities company will terminate "a few ad- ditional employees" later this year. She said layoffs will take place between March and May as the company sheds employees in an effort to withdraw from the forward mortgage market share of activity. The personnel soon to be laid off include several senior manag- ers, loan originators, shippers, processors, risk underwriters, financial analysts, and many oth- ers with traditional roles in the mortgage origination industry. Except for reverse mortgages, MetLife officially ceased writing WISCONSIN // Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation has released its 2011 internal findings, and the company was pleased to announce that last year marked its second highest annual total for mortgage loan volume in Fairway's history. Additionally, Fairway experienced its strongest quarter on record to end the year with an estimated $3.6 billion in volume. During the fourth quarter of 2011, Fairway made company history with a total of $1.3 billion in mortgage loan volume during the period. The company credits low mortgage rates and its ongo- ing national expansion plan for its successful end to the year. While Fairway was able to boast about its robust volume of mortgage loans, it's worth noting that the company's total volume for 2011 was down by 10 percent year-over-year. In 2010, Fairway racked up $3.94 billion in total SECONDARY MARKET ANALYTICS SERVICING ORIGINATION