| Bainbridge Island-based CFA Northwest Mortgage Professionals has formed a joined venture with Liberty Financial Group, a mortgage company based in Bellevue. The venture, announced at the end of March, will allow the two companies to consolidate some of their operations while expanding their services.
The two companies have funded a total of more than $1 billion in loans last year, and are licensed in a combined 29 states. “It gives us such a competitive edge,” said Carolyn Frame, CFA owner.
The joint venture became in effect in April and includes a spot for Frame on the Liberty Financial board. Each company will continue to do business under its respective name, and Frame will remain the president and CEO of CFA.
CFA includes nine branches, primarily in Kitsap County as well as locations in South King County, as well as in Alaska, California and Arizona, while Liberty Financial has a presence in the Bellevue/Seattle and Tacoma/Olympia areas, Alaska and Las Vegas. “They have been a very strong mortgage company on the East Side and great business people,” Frame said.
The partnership came about after a Liberty employee joined the CFA team, and the two companies “got minds together and said, ‘what if,’” according to Frame. It was a good opportunity for her to take her company to a new level. The venture gives the companies more purchasing power and more programs, and for CFA it’s also a chance to better serve local customers looking to buy a second home in other states.
The new entity will maintain all the current branches and plans to open new ones. In the meantime, CFA will add new loan officers and expand its mentorship program. Frame says the partnership will announce its next step within three months.
“I am excited to team up with Liberty Financial Group and take many of the marketing concepts we have developed over the years to a new level,” she said. | 
