1stvanguard

In 1999, 1st Vanguard Mortgage Company was founded in Pittsburgh, PA by Oditza Carrasco. As President and CEO, Oditza has steered the company through eight years of positive growth and forged a distinctive identity within the mortgage lending industry by stressing and delivering customer service throughout the entire loan process.   Her business and leadership skills were recognized as early as 2002, when the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette named her as one of “Pittsburgh’s Top 50 Business Leaders”. More recently, 1st Vanguard was honored as the 2007 Western Pennsylvania Woman-Owned Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Association, and Ms. Carrasco was recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s “Best 50 Women in Business.”    A strategic partnership was created recently when the company partnered with American Bank, a Federally Chartered Savings Bank based out of Rockville, Maryland. This association gives 1st Vanguard’s residential and commercial loan officers the ability to broker loans in all 50 states.   1st Vanguard currently has 14 full-time employees and is a licensed mortgage lender nationwide. The company’s goal is to originate and close more than $100 million in loan volume this year. 1st Vanguard offers a full range of mortgage options, including but not limited to: Residential purchase and refinance, commercial and small business loans, financing of second homes and investment properties, construction loans, foreign national loans, conventional and Jumbo loans, rehabilitation loans, and alternative mortgage products.