New center opened in Calif.
By COCO SALAZAR
3/2/2006

High mortgage demand in the San Francisco Bay Area prompted Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to open yet another office and further expand mortgage staff.

Wells announced its new mortgage fulfillment center in Concord, Calif., created 60 new jobs and has room for more growth.

The new employees, who speak many languages commonly spoken in the community, including Spanish, Cantonese and Filipino, void the previous need to have Bay Area mortgage applications handled by a processing center in Southern California.

"This new mortgage center allows us to provide quicker and more efficient processing of applications with local staff members who are familiar with the local market conditions," said Regional Managing Director Arlene Allert in the announcement. "We're now able to better serve our customers who are applying for home loans in the Bay Area."

While there are no specific plans for recruitment in new mortgage centers, some expansion will likely continue through new mortgage retail branches. A new mortgage store is scheduled to open in Hayward after last June's opening in Oakland Chinatown, spokesman Kevin Waetke said in an e-mailed statement.

Wells' current workforce of over 16,000 in the Bay Area includes the 800-plus employees added last year.

The Concord center reportedly follows 50 branch openings in 18 cities during the past year with culturally-themed décor that reflects the location and cultural makeup of their communities.

"We believe that this approach will provide our customers with a friendly venue to learn about the home financing options available to them -- something they may have otherwise not have explored," said Jackson Cosey, emerging markets vice president, in the written statement.

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