1st Advantage Mortgage LLC has announced that it has changed its name to Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. The name change, which reflects the mortgage company’s role since 2008 as the residential mortgage division of national full-service real estate firm Draper and Kramer, Incorporated, coincides with a recent overarching corporate rebranding at Draper and Kramer.
“The 1st Advantage Mortgage name has served us well, but it’s time for a change to reflect how far we’ve come since our start nearly 20 years ago, as well as the history, organization and resources that are behind everything we do as part of Draper and Kramer,” said Paul Lueken, chief executive officer of Lombard, Ill.-based Draper and Kramer Mortgage. “We’ve grown our market share, and we’re a part of something much bigger now. We’re currently licensed in 38 states and growing rapidly, as we’ve recently opened offices in Texas, Massachusetts and Indiana. I’m looking forward to our next chapter and taking the Draper and Kramer name to new parts of the country.”
1st Advantage Mortgage was founded by Lueken in 1997. The Chicago-area company distinguished itself in the mortgage industry with its competitive products, efficient in-house processing and strong customer service, becoming one of the largest mortgage providers in Illinois.
In 2008, 1st Advantage Mortgage joined Chicago-based Draper and Kramer, a privately held company that has been a leader in property and financial services since 1893. While keeping the 1st Advantage Mortgage name, the firm assumed the role of Draper and Kramer’s residential mortgage division and incorporated Draper and Kramer’s existing mortgage operations. Today, the mortgage company has grown its nationwide presence and retail business substantially and is set to fund approximately $2 billion in loans in 2016.
Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. will retain its corporate headquarters in Lombard, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Draper and Kramer is headquartered in a new 39,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art office space in Chicago’s downtown Loop district.
