the addition of 42 new members to its roster in 2008, Lenders One Mortgage Cooperative, a national alliance of mortgage bankers, says it has added seven new members in the first quarter of 2009 and another six members in the month of April. New members include Oakstar Bank, Springfield, Mo.; Ideal Home Loans, Englewood, Colo.; Covenant Mortgage, Westford, Mass.; Advisors Mortgage Group, Manasquan, N.J.; Platte Valley Bank, Platte City, Mo.; Pinnacle Mortgage Group, Lakewood, Colo.; and Trident Mortgage Co., Devon, Pa. "Having the ability to participate in continuing education through Lenders One was an important factor in deciding to join, as well as having access to valuable marketing and customer retention programs," says Brian Rindels, vice president at Pinnacle Mortgage. "We are looking forward to attending the upcoming conferences, where we can network with other member companies and gain insight into best practices used by other successful mortgage bankers." Independent bankers "must rely heavily on the help of their peers" in the current environment, notes Lenders One CEO Scott Stern. "Each year, the cooperative's membership has experienced steady growth, and that is especially notable because of the very unpredictable state of the mortgage industry," he says. SOURCE: Lend