Caliber Funding to open lending operation in Florence

CaliberFunding, a national mortgage lender, will open its new Correspondent LendingOperation in Florence County. The new facility is expected to generate 100 newjobs over the next 12 months.

We wereaware of the availability of a significant number of people who hadcorrespondent lending experience in the past. These are the exact skill sets weneed for our operation and felt this was a great chance to put many of thesefolks back to work right here in Florence, said Tag Gallaher, vice presidentof Operations at Caliber Funding. The support of the entire economicdevelopment team has been very helpful to us in our start up, and is sincerelyappreciated.

CaliberFunding LLC is a national mortgage lender and agency direct seller/servicerheadquartered in Dallas, Texas. The company plans to locate its new operationsat 2210 Enterprise Drive in Florence in mid-July. 

It'sexciting to see another company recognize the benefits of doing business herein South Carolina. We celebrate Caliber Funding's decision to create 100 newjobs in Florence and we look forward to seeing them grow here in the PalmettoState, said Gov. Nikki Haley.

CaliberFunding originates loans through retail branches, wholesale lending,mini-correspondent lending and a consumer direct centralized operationalcenter. The Correspondent Channel starting up in Florence will be a new channelof production for Caliber. The company originates an average of $656 millioneach month and anticipates continued rapid growth in the coming months andyears.

CaliberFunding's decision to locate operations here is another sign that SouthCarolina's business-friendly climate and skilled talent are attractingcompanies to our state. These new jobs will have a big impact on the Florencearea and beyond, said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

Caliber'sdecision to locate here is another positive sign that our efforts to enhancethe state's economic soil conditions are paying real dividends when it comes toattracting world-class companies and new job opportunities. We remain committedto continuing to work to better the business climate and allow more businessesto thrive in South Carolina and Florence County, said state Sen. Hugh K.Leatherman Sr.   

FlorenceCounty Council Chairman James Schofield said, It is an exciting day foreveryone in Florence County as we celebrate the addition of an outstanding newcorporate citizen that will provide quality, good-paying jobs for the citizensin our community.

The companywill employ underwriters, audit analysts, data entry staff as well as clientrelations positions.

CaliberFunding has already hired over 35 employees who have begun training in thereadySC building on Florence Darlington Technical College's campus. Anyoneinterested in job opportunities with the company visit Caliber's career page atwww.caliberfunding.com.

CaliberFunding was founded in 2008 by Lone Star Funds, a global private equity fund.The company's core strengths include innovative culture, proprietary loanorigination system H2Online, and an entrepreneurial management team. Thesestrengths, combined with the financial backing of Lone Star Funds, make CaliberFunding unlike any other mortgage lender within the industry and result in itsability to provide a superior service experience to their customers, afulfilling work environment for their employees, and a track record of quality.For more information, please visit www.caliberfunding.com.