PRESS RELEASE
GARY ROYAL JOINS MORTGAGE INVESTORS GROUP
TO OVERSEE SOUTHEAST EXPANSION
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Gary Royal has joined Mortgage Investors Group to oversee the mortgage lender’s growth in new markets across the Southeast region, company officials announced.
As MIG’s new VP, Southeast regional production manager, Royal will lead the Knoxville-based company’s efforts to expand its retail presence outside of Tennessee, where it has been the top residential mortgage lender for more than a decade.
“With the many contacts Gary has made over the last 30 years of mortgage management, he will lead the effort to grow retail production across multiple states,” MIG President and Chief Executive Officer Chrissi Rhea said. “As MIG enters its third decade of business, we will continue to grow by ‘keeping our promises’ to our clients, Realtors, and employees.”
MIG Executive Vice President of Production Steve Smith said Royal will be based in Atlanta, where, for the past three years, he has served as national retail sales manager for one of the country’s largest lenders.
“We believe we have to continue to grow and be a progressive company,” Smith said. “Through this growth, we are able to add products and services that benefit MIG’s clients anywhere in the footprint in the Southeast.”
The expansion includes opening branches in select markets across the Southeast, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, he said.
“These are markets we feel we can serve just as we have served the residents of Tennessee,” Smith said. “We continue to be a loan officer-centric company that is focused on doing the right thing for our clients, meeting promises and making closing dates. We want to take our culture and commitment to the client into these new markets.”
Royal joined MIG Feb. 18, but his career in mortgage lending spans more than 30 years with experience in retail lending, correspondent lending and senior-level mortgage management. He previously worked with MIG in his role as a correspondent lender.
“Mortgage Investors Group was actually a great correspondent customer of mine in the past. Understanding their approach, leadership, reputation and how they do business was a big factor in my decision to join the company,” he said. “Culture is extremely important to me and it is clear that MIG is more of a family atmosphere than a large company. It was very appealing to find dedicated associates who share a consistent focus around the customer, which is uncommon in the industry.”
Royal, who holds a finance degree from the University of North Florida, said he looks forward to introducing like-minded mortgage professionals to a culture they may not have experienced before.
“We are going to focus on finding the right people – people that really fit the culture and will thrive with the unparalleled support they will experience at MIG,” he said.
MIG is the #1 residential mortgage lender in the state of Tennessee. Since opening its doors in 1989, it has served more than 125,000 clients in excess of $20 billion. The firm has nearly 400 employees in 25 branch locations from Memphis to the Tri-Cities, and has also been the THDA top lender for 16 successive years.
