There is a Difference!
The financial advisor, certified public accountant, real estate agent or other professional who most likely referred you to us realizes the importance of working with reputable mortgage finance specialists. Each member of our team has years of experience.

Instead of thinking of your mortgage as an individual transaction, we consider your immediate financing or refinancing as part of your total financial plan. Our mortgage consultants will help you determine which home loan has the lowest overall cost for you. And even after you obtain your mortgage financing,we provide you with related tax information, annual mortgage reviews, homeowner tips, and assistance locating other professionals.

Today's smart consumers understand the value of using independent mortgage brokers who collectively originate more residential loans than any other source in the nation.* We've done the research for you. And because we represent many lenders at once, Apex Home Loans, Inc. brings you a comprehensive range of mortgage products, rates and services. We consider all credit, limit paperwork, and feature the fast approvals and closings made possible by automated underwriting. At Apex Home Loans, Inc., we take an intelligent approach to your home-financing needs. Experience our way of doing business.

*Wholesale Access, Mortgage Brokers 2000,
National Association of Mortgage Brokers, July 2001

Eric Gates eric@apexhomeloans.com President

Eric Gates is co-founder and President of Apex Home Loans, Inc. in Bethesda, MD. Prior to starting Apex, Eric was Vice President and Operations Manager at Finance America Corporation, a local wholesale lender. He helped start Finance America for the owners of that company after being a top Loan Officer at City Federal Funding. Eric has been originating residential mortgage loans since 1993 and managing mortgage operations since 1996. He is among the select few mortgage brokers in the United States to earn the National Association of Mortgage Brokers' Certified Residential Mortgage Specialist designation, an accomplishment achieved by less than 1% of mortgage brokers nationwide. In 2006, he also obtained the Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist designation, which represents a specialization in working with Financial Planners and CPA's and allows him to provide continuing education courses to Certified Financial Planners.

Eric is a member of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers and the Maryland Association of Mortgage Brokers, where he is on the Board of Directors and is the Chair of the Association's state Legislative Committee. He is also a member of The Greater Washington Board of Trade and that association's Maryland Political Action Committee, The Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce, The Fairfax County Chamber or Commerce and The Better Business Bureau. Eric holds a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and lives in Potomac, MD with his wife and three children.

Craig Strent craig@apexhomeloans.com Vice President

Craig Strent has been originating mortgages since 1994 and co-founded Apex Home Loans in 1998.   He has been recognized by Mortgage Originator Magazine as one of the "Top 200 Loan Originators" in America for the last 5 years and is among the 1% of mortgage brokers nationwide to earn the Certified Residential Mortgage Specialist designation. Craig has also earned the CMPS designation, which provides him the expertise to work with Financial Advisors and Accountants. He is accredited by the CMPS institute to teach continuing education classes to Certified Financial Planners.

	See Craig Strent interviewed on NBC News, Fox News and CNBC

Craig has been quoted in the Washington Business Journal and has appeared as a mortgage expert on the NBC Nightly News, CNBC, and the Fox Morning News, which featured him in a special report on mortgage lending to divorced and separated individuals. Craig actively participates in The Greater Washington Board of Trade, where he has served as an Ambassador and Co-Chair of the Member Services Committee as well as a member of their Maryland Political Action Committee. He has been spotlighted by the organization in the past as a regional Power Player and was most recently honored as the Most Engaged Small Business Person.

Craig is a member of the National and Maryland Associations of Mortgage Brokers, the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, and the Better Business Bureau. In addition to his professional affiliations, he has co-chaired several golf fundraisers to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Craig received a B.S.B.A from the American University's Kogod School of Business in 1994. He lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife Amy, sons Sammy and Ollie, and his dog Lucy.  

David Messineo david@apexhomeloans.com Mortgage Consultant

David joined the Apex team in early 2004 after spending two years as a Loan Officer with a large National lender. After graduating from that company's "Loan Officer Boot Camp," he quickly earned his way to the prestigious President's Club, which represented that firm's top 10 percent of loan officers. Prior to entering the mortgage business, David's spent over 8 years as the finance coordinator for a Pittsburgh renovation company. He excelled at both financing and supervising job sites, giving him extensive knowledge of both the loan and renovation process. David is an active real estate investor and landlord and his clients benefit from his knowledge of residential management and rental property purchases. David specializes in assisting first time buyers purchase homes with little or no money down and is known for his patience and diligence in obtaining loan approvals for challenged applicants.

David is an active member of the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals as well as the National and Maryland Associations of Mortgage Brokers.

Amy Smith amy@apexhomeloans.com Mortgage Consultant

Amy graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Marketing and International Business and entered the mortgage business in 2001. She is a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist, which provides her the background to collaborate with financial planners and accountants to assist their clients.

Amy joined the team at Apex Home Loans in the beginning of 2005. Prior to that, she worked as the main support person for a top producing loan officer, where she mastered many aspects of the mortgage process and quickly moved up to the team leader position. In that role, she handled all aspects of client relations and loan origination for a very productive team. She then moved into the mortgage wholesale business and served as an account representative for a McLean based bank. There, she increased the bank's account base by 66%, while studying best practices of other mortgage brokers. Amy has attended numerous mortgage origination seminars and boot camps, which have strengthened her industry knowledge and fine tuned her customer service skills.

Amy is active in the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, where she serves as an Ambassador and was awarded the Chairman's Award in 2006 for her hard work and dedication to the chamber. She is also a member of the National and Maryland Association of Mortgage Brokers.