Prolific homebuilder launches mortgage firm

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Neal Communities, one of the most prolific homebuilders in the region, has launched an in-house mortgage company, Neal Communities Funding.

The independent mortgage banker is an affiliated business between Neal Communities and Maitland-based Mortgage Funding Direct Ventures, according to a release. Mortgage Funding Direct Ventures is a mortgage management services company that specializes in new construction purchases, the release adds. Neal Signature Homes, the firm's luxury, semi-custom homes arm, is also partnering with Mortgage Funding Direct Ventures.

“The real belief and purpose behind Neal Communities Funding is that it will improve the overall customer experience and streamline the mortgage services process for our customers,” Neal Communities President Michael Storey says in the statement.

Neal Communities Funding will assist homeowners from pre-qualification and formal approval to home closing. Possible loans, the release states, include conventional, government and jumbo, in addition to extended interest rate lock options during construction.

“We feel this type of personal-touch communication combined with the reputations of both companies and our mortgage expertise establishes Neal Communities Funding as a unique enterprise,” Neal Communities Funding Chairman Tawn Kelley says in the statement.

Lakewood Ranch-based Neal Communities is ranked nationally among the top 50 homebuilders, according to Builder Magazine. The company has built more than 10,000 homes on the Gulf Coast.