JL Mortgage Associates, Inc. was founded April 30, 1987 as a mortgage company in Stratford, Connecticut. Originally, the company lent some of its own funds but currently focuses on brokering mortgage loans through numerous institutional and private sources (for special situations). The different types of financing available covers: residential areas, owner and non-owner occupied properties, and commercial loans for all types of properties. Many times the clients who come to JL Mortgage Associates have pristine credit, but JL Mortgage is also able to help people who have credit problems, even those in foreclosure.

JL Mortgage is a family owned company created by Jean C. Lanzo. Jim, her husband, was working as a wholesale representative for an out of state mortgage lender in the mid 1980's. Convincing her husband to leave his position and head up the brand new company was an adventure, especially when one considers the economics and rates at that time!

Jim has thirty-three years experience in the mortgage industry. He can recall the days when one needed a Real Estate Brokers License to run a mortgage company. Presently the company is where it belongs, regulated under the auspices of the Banking Commissioner's office.

Initially, Jean did the typing and processing of loan applications manually. Computers soon took over and JL Mortgage was one of the first mortgage brokerages to use the computer to process loans.

Jim first became interested in mortgages in 1970, when he was Executive vice-president and co-founder of Connecticut Real Estate Investors Balanced Fund. The Fund was primarily interested in purchasing real estate for investment and developmental purposes. Jim persuaded his partners to go into the mortgage business. At that time it was for the second mortgage lending area that the company lent its own funds. The loans were primarily funded by bank lines of credit. Around this time banks decided second mortgages were good vehicles for them to pursue directly. Now banks could make relatively safe loans at higher rates than first mortgages, being that these were usually secured by an owner-occupied dwelling.

Several years later Jim founded a mortgage company that was later sold to GE Capital. From there he went on to originate conventional, FHA and VA loans for Lomas & Nettleton the nation's first and largest mortgage banker. Lomas & Nettleton was established in New Haven, Connecticut, around 1894 and first operated on Orange Street in New Haven.

Subsequently, Jim went on to become Vice President of Merrill Lynch Mortgage and when they wound down their operation in Connecticut he became a wholesale representative for a mortgage company. This was all prior to starting JL Mortgage Associates, Inc., of which he is president today.

In JL Mortgage's underwriting department is Tien Ho who is in charge of processing mortgages. He has extensive computer experience and has been with the company for more than two years. The previous processor worked for JL Mortgage for more than thirteen and some half years before moving back to the Midwest. The newest addition to JL Mortgage is Kristina Paradise as a loan originator. Kristina was a successful, dedicated teacher who came to JL Mortgage after applying for a mortgage with two other mortgage companies. Kristina and her fiancé Paul, now her husband, were trying to buy a home that needed a lot of remodeling inside and out. With Jim's extensive knowledge and creativity he was able to pair Kristina and Paul with a lender who was able to meet all of their needs. Specifically, they did not need to escrow funds at closing due to the condition of the house as the two other major lenders required. Kristina, seeing the creativity and flexibility of a mortgage broker, surprised her fiancé and said "I want to work for JL Mortgage." The rest is history as Kristina is today being tutored one on one with the goal of some day taking over JL Mortgage.

As you might know by now JL Mortgage has an experienced and dedicated staff of employees forging a path for the company to continue on into the foreseeable future.