Beverly Hills Mortgage Originator Laps National Field
In 2004 Top 200 Residential Mortgage Origination Rankings

SIZZLING MORTGAGE MARKET + HIGH DEMAND/LOW SUPPLY + UNPRECEDENTED PROFESSIONAL REFERRAL NETWORK + EXTRAORDINARY CLIENT SERVICE = WINNING FORMULA FOR MARK COHEN

BEVERLY HILLS, CA–APRIL 12, 2005—According to just released 2004 rankings published in the April 2005 issue of Mortgage Originator Magazine® ( M.O.M.), Mark Cohen, President of Beverly Hills, California-based Cohen Financial Group was #1 among the Top 200 mortgage originators nationwide, in dollar volume and loans originated. Mr. Cohen originated $1,353,797,483 in dollar volume on 2,722 loans.

"I learned long ago that when deals close, doors open. I am truly grateful to my successful clients and extraordinary professional referral network for helping me set a new industry benchmark," noted Cohen. "And given a finite supply of desirable, upscale homes for sale, an ever-increasing domestic and foreign demand, and mortgage rates that remain among the lowest in 30 years, Southern California home appreciation and prices are headed in only one direction: Up. 2005 promises to be yet another spectacular year for our industry," he continued.

The M.O.M's criteria for the Top Originator list were the same as in previous years. Residential loan originators had to personally close at least $30 million and/or 140 loans of personal, residential volume in 2004, to be eligible for consideration. This Ninth Annual List features 355 individual originators in the Top 200 FHA/VA and Rookie categories. Mr. Cohen has ranked in the top five for the past eight years.            

Astonishingly, Mr. Cohen lapped the 2004 runner-up who generated $651,471,431 and 921 loans. "If someone would have told me 20 years ago that one day we would see $300 million loan originators—let alone a $1 billion loan originator, as we celebrate in this year's top originators list—I would have called them crazy", says M.O.M.'s Doug Smith, in a rankings sidebar article titled "Start Thinking Big."

With more than 20 years of experience in home loan origination, Mr. Cohen is widely recognized throughout Los Angeles as the go-to guru of blue-chip mortgages. He
is an anomaly among brokers/originators. An astute businessman who holds both a Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School and a MBA from USC, Mr. Cohen is positioned to advise his clients on wide ranging home-financing issues--from mortgage solutions, to equity leveraging, to tax mitigation. Through hands-on management of the loan process—literally, from opening to close—he helps his clients secure financing best suited to their personal financial situation and investment goals.

Mortgage Originator, located in San Diego, California, is the leading trade magazine covering the mortgage origination business. As the recognized authoritative voice of the mortgage industry, M.O.M. is committed to producing hard-hitting, quality editorial every month. Deerfield, Illinois-based Pfingsten Publishing, L.L.C publishes M.O.M.

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Contact: Jim Bardwil
Fourth Wall Marketing
(323) 857-5654, ext. 203
(310) 415-1554, cell

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