Skip to Content Accessibility Information

Department of Housing and Community Development

Maryland Mortgage Program Recognizes Top Lender and Realtor Partners at Annual Awards Ceremony

NEW CARROLLTON, MD (April 18, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development recognized the top performing lender and realtor partners of 2023 on Wednesday during the Maryland Mortgage Program’s annual awards event, which featured remarks from Secretary Jake Day and the MMP Director, Maddy Ciulu, as well as from US Bank, Maryland REALTORS, Freddie Mac, and the Maryland Mortgage Bankers and Brokers Association. The department recognized these dedicated partners for their exemplary performance and celebrated the continued partnership. 

For more than 40 years, the Maryland Mortgage Program has provided sustainable, fixed-rate mortgages, primarily to first-time homebuyers. Program borrowers receive access to down payment and closing cost assistance and, if eligible, student debt relief through the popular Maryland SmartBuy initiative. The Maryland Mortgage Program works with a network of over 110 active lenders statewide.

For the fourth calendar year, the Maryland Mortgage Program surpassed $1 billion in loan reservations. 68 percent of borrowers had income below 80% Area Median Income, and 98 percent were first-time homebuyers. In 2023, U.S. Bank processed nearly 3,400 Maryland Mortgage Program loan reservations, including 312 SmartBuy loans, ranking the program third in homeownership production out of the 42 Housing Finance Agencies they service. 

Maryland

“Homeownership is a proven pathway to opportunity and wealth-building, and the Maryland Mortgage Program seeks to make homeownership affordable and attainable for all,” said Secretary Day. ”I’m grateful for the dedicated support of like-minded lenders, realtors, title companies, housing counselors, and other industry partners. The program would not be as effective and impactful as it is without their good work.”

The Maryland Mortgage Program 2023 Top Performers include:

Top Performing Lender

  • First Home Mortgage Corporation 

Gold Tier Lenders

  • First Home Mortgage Corporation
  • NFM, Inc. dba NFM Lending, Main Street Home Loans 
  • Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. 
  • Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 
  • PrimeLending, A PlainsCapital Company

Silver Tier Lenders

  • Meridian Bank
  • Lower, LLC
  • Direct Mortgage Loans, LLC
  • FitzGerald Financial, a Division of TowneBank Mortgage
  • Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC
  • Homespire Mortgage Corporation

Rising Star

  • Ark-La-Tex Financial DBA Benchmark Mortgage

Top Producing Loan Officer 

  • Ryan Paquin, First Home Mortgage Corporation
  • Alexis Vining, Lower, LLC
  • Tammi Printz, First Home Mortgage Corporation

Top Producing Processor

  • Tara Flynn (45), Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc.
  • Roni Sierra (39), Direct Mortgage Loans, LLC
  • Hayden Mills (39), Guild Mortgage

Top Producing Realtor

  • James Archie, Samson Properties
  • Diego Rodriguez, Spring Hill Real Estate
  • Cory Willems, EXP Realty, LLC

Top Real Estate Companies

  • Samson Properties
  • EXP Realty, LLC
  • Long & Foster Real Estate
  • Keller Williams Realty

SmartBuy Student Debt Eliminators

  • SWBC Mortgage Corporation
  • Movement Mortgage, LLC
  • AnnieMac Home Mortgage
  • Waterstone Mortgage Corporation

For more information about the Maryland Mortgage Program, visit mmp.maryland.gov. To view pictures of the event, visit https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBmRWU.