First American Bank - Deaf Services Division

First American Bank, headquartered in Hudson WI, announced the opening of their Deaf Services Division. Making a bold move in a very difficult mortgage market, the bank tapped one of the most respected deaf business leaders when recruiting DeafMortgage.net president Jason Steinbach of Minneapolis, MN to run their Deaf Services Division.

Deaf Mortgage.net is currently a portal for deaf to locate and contact deaf-friendly real estate and finance professionals throughout the country, and also operates an educational outreach program through workshops and deaf events. Through the recruiting of Steinbach, First American Bank has put themselves on the forefront of a pioneering effort, one not attempted by any other bank, which includes creating new job opportunities for the deaf. The Deaf Services Division has already recruited three deaf mortgage bankers and two hearing ASL mortgage bankers, all of whom can communicate with borrowers directly by videophone and provide mortgage lending in all fifty states.

Steinbach describes the opening of the Deaf Services Division as revolutionary, “The opportunity to create such a financial catalyst in the deaf community is unprecedented. We will soon have a videophone customer service department so customers can communicate with a sign-language fluent banker regarding their mortgage banking needs. Only one word can describe this pioneering step: explosive.” The bank will also be heavily involved with educational outreach as they plan to send their bankers throughout the country to provide educational workshops on credit and home ownership at deaf clubs and schools.

www.fa-bank.net/deaf