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Contact
Rosemary Ostmann
Rose Communications
201-656-7178, ext. 201
201-615-7751 cell
rostmann@rosecomm.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MORTGAGE HARMONY CORP. APPOINTS SHANE CHALKE AS PRESIDENT Financial Industry Veteran
to Lead Introduction of Reform Mortgage Products
TYSONS CORNER, Va. (September 9, 2009) – Mortgage Harmony Corp., a provider of innovative
residential mortgage products, today announced the appointment of Shane Chalke as
president. Prior to joining the company, Chalke founded and recently sold Finetre
Corp., an electronic platform for buying and selling annuities that transformed
the delivery of annuity products.
Mortgage Harmony's core product, Harmony Loan, is a consumer-initiated interest
rate-resetting mortgage with a patented recurring compensation structure to the
loan officer. It is designed to realign the economic incentives among all participants
of a mortgage transaction and bring long-term stability to the housing finance industry.
As president, Chalke will oversee the commercialization of the company's products.
"The residential mortgage model in this country is severely flawed and we believe
our product is a harbinger of much-needed change," said Keith Kelly, founder and
CEO of Mortgage Harmony. "Shane's track record of changing the way industries do
business is precisely what we need to be successful."
An actuary by training, Chalke founded AnnuityNet in 1997 to reengineer the variable
annuity market by automating the sales process and stripping the steep broker commissions
from the equation. In 2000, he renamed the company Finetre and evolved the business
model to become a business-to-business exchange, which ultimately handled more than
$80 billion in annuity transactions for the nation's largest brokerage firms.
"After sitting on the advisory board of this start-up for six months, I was compelled
to accept their offer to guide the company as its president," said Chalke. "I was
impressed by the financial engineering that went into the development of the Harmony
Loan as well as its potential to realign the financial incentives in the mortgage
business and create more durable mortgage products."
Chalke created his first business in the early 80s at the age of 25. Chalke Incorporated
developed risk management software quickly adopted by the larger players in the
insurance industry. Chalke holds a degree in mathematics from Worcester Polytechnic
Institute.
"We're ready for a transition in the mortgage business analogous to that in the
brokerage industry where brokers moved from transaction- to asset-based compensation,"
said Chalke. "We're working with banks looking for a higher value loan for their
portfolio, while at the same time offering a dramatically better value proposition
to the consumer. It's not often that a new product is better for everyone in the
value chain – this is exciting."
About Mortgage Harmony Corp. Mortgage Harmony Corp. designs, develops and distributes
innovative residential mortgage products for credit unions, mid-size and large banks,
and mortgage companies. Its mission is to create products and services that properly
align the economic incentives of all participants of a mortgage transaction and
bring long-term stability to the housing finance industry. For more information
on Mortgage Harmony and the Harmony Loan, please visit
www.mortgageharmony.com.
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