Bank-America Mortgage, Bank of America's home loan division, is reaching out to low-income Hispanic homebuyers in Southern California.
The company has hired 24 Spanish-speaking loan officers for its retail offices in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties.
It has also opened a homeownership education center in the Watts district and a retail office in the Downey area of Los Angeles. A second retail office is to be opened in South Central Los Angeles this year.
Other aspects of BankAmerica's efforts in the Hispanic market include a bilingual direct-mail promotion highlighting home equity products; an ad campaign for Hispanic radio and print outlets in Los Angeles; and a commitment of $1.1 billion for loan products tailored to low-income borrowers.