| To become a top mortgage company, finance and its | | | | businesses and in lending credit cards (especially after |
| management are not the only things required. History | | | | its merger with MBNC). Bank of America ranks |
| indicates that innovation is the prime driving force in | | | | second on the Forbes list of 2005 among mortgage |
| leading a mortgage company to the top. | | | | companies. |
| A case in point is Citigroup, considered by many | | | | Wells Fargo, the third in the current Forbes list of top |
| pundits to be the leading mortgage company | | | | mortgage companies, has about 1,000 |
| worldwide today. Citigroup developed its roots in | | | | home-mortgage branches all over the US and in |
| America - it has been functioning since 1970 - but has | | | | some foreign countries. It mostly services sub-prime |
| spread throughout the world in the last decade. It | | | | mortgage customers. It had revenue of over $33 |
| operates in 54 countries outside the US today, | | | | million in 2005, and a major chunk of the revenue |
| making most of its revenue from virgin territories; i.e. | | | | was through mortgage lending. |
| countries that have never considered mortgages as | | | | Wachovia is the fourth-largest mortgage bank in the |
| financial options before. Currently it has assets of $1.3 | | | | US. Its assets in the last financial year were over $28 |
| trillion, and its revenue last year was $108 billion. | | | | million. Wachovia bank's purchase of Western Financial |
| Citigroup leads the Forbes list of 2005 mortgage | | | | bank will make it the ninth-largest auto mortgage |
| companies. | | | | provider in the US. |
| The Bank of America, one of the oldest banks in the | | | | Other top mortgage companies that figure in the |
| US and currently the third-largest bank in the country, | | | | Forbes 500 list of 2005 are BB&T, Golden West |
| is another huge mortgage loan provider. It has today | | | | Financial, Marshall and Ilsley, M&T, AmSouth Bancorp, |
| assets of $74 billion. Apart from mortgage loans, it | | | | Popular, Synovus Financial, Zions Bancorp, Compass |
| also leads the country in providing loans to small | | | | Bancshares and Commerce Bancorp. |