Guardian Adds Former Senior Lending Network Execs and Robert Wagner as Spokesperson

February 11th, 2010 | by John Yedinak Published in Guardian First, LLS, News, Reverse Mortgage | 61 Comments

Guardian First Funding Group announced the addition of two former key executives from the Senior Lending Network and the addition of legendary actor Robert Wagner as the company’s spokesperson.

Mr. Wagner will appear in all of Guardian First Funding Group’s print, television and web site advertising said a company statement. In his role as spokesperson, Mr. Wagner will educate Americans about the importance of reverse mortgages.

David Peskin, former CEO of the Senior Lending Network will serve as Chairman of Guardian First Funding Group and will use his secondary market expertise to attract strategic capital partners.

“I am pleased to join Guardian First Funding Group and help implement its vision. I believe that Guardian is well-positioned for future growth and am excited to work with the team.” said David Peskin.

Also joining Guardian First Funding Group is Kenneth Peskin who will serve as chief operating officer. In his role, he will transition Guardian from broker to banker and will focus his attention on gaining efficiencies through new technologies and expanding the company’s banking licenses.

Both David Peskin and Kenneth Peskin will hold seats on Guardian First Funding Group’s Board of Directors.

“It’s an honor to be working with two individuals with so much experience in building a reverse mortgage business,” says Jason Levy, chief executive officer. “We have a long-standing working relationship and I am confident and excited about our future,”

“Additionally, we could not be more excited and honored to work with such an expressive and endearing talent. Mr. Wagner’s work with the reverse mortgage industry adds credibility and importance to our product and our industry, His knowledge and compassion for the product has given a huge boost to our industry and our advertising efforts.” added Levy.

Guardian First Funding Group believes these changes will further fuel growth. Increasing the sales staff and grooming existing loan officers has been a large focus and that can be seen in their originations. The company has increased its sales force by 50% in just the last quarter of 2009.

Guardian First Funding Group will continue to advertise aggressively to meet the growing needs of its direct-to-consumer call center. “Our business model affords a great deal of time to explain, nurture and support seniors as they make critical decisions about their financial well-being.” said Levy.

Note – volume for October, November, December was provided by Guardian

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Anonymous

Reverse Marketing,rnrnI’m not sure your comment is well thought out. Regardless if you broker a deal or not, the numbers show up for the company that originated it. rnrn”Simplier”? What Sales Process are you referring to? rnI’m not sure what you are saying in your second part of the comment.rnCould you make your statement a little clearer. rnIf you are saying you can fast track this sales process, you are sadly mistaken. This clientele needs to be educated, not run through a “simplier (sic) process”.rnI’m not sure what clients you are speaking with but there still are a number of people that have no idea what a RM is. Just ask them…..rnrnrn
Anonymous

For Momea and Mr. Skeptic,rnObviously you have never made the transition to a full eagle hence your comments are not thought out. rnrnBecause of their foresight with advertising, the sales process is simplier. No longer are we explaining what a reverse mortgage is…it is done. Those TV commercials are a lot better than the black eyes this industry is getting from those direct mail letters!!!
Anonymous

There are alot of people that know the Peskins and know what they are all about. Karma is coming for them.
Anonymous

Its always good to see growth and new ideas/people enter the RM club. David Peskin did a lot of good for the RM industry in the past and I am sure he will continue to do so.
Anonymous

Robert Wagner celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday.rnHe and Peter Graves have done Wonders to bring Reverse Mortgages to the Forefront of American Seniors.rnAll in our industry benefit Greatly from their association.rn
Anonymous

rainmand,rnrnThe first SLN spokesman was Mr. Jerry Orbach. When he passed away the family refused to allow SLN to keep broadcasting the spots. He was a terrific spokesperson; some say the best so far. Mr. Robert Wagner filled his shoes and took SLN to the next level.rn
Anonymous

>>our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign rnrnIt wasn’t Jerry Orbach I remember – it’s James Garner. My life became easier when James began endorsing Reverse Mortgages for Financial Freedom, and it got even better when Robert Wagner began endorsing them for LLS, approximately 6 months later. I spoke to thousands of Reverse Mortgage candidates during that period of time, and many of them mentioned James and Robert, but not a single one mentioned Jerry.
Anonymous

Agree with Mr. Skeptic. Old news.
Anonymous

Momea is absolutely right. Some serious fuzzy math there. Some more odd things about that article;rnrna. Robert Wagner has been used by Guardian on their website and on cable ads for six months.rnb. Guardian reported on this site that they had become Bankers six months ago. The Peskins have been involved with them for a long time. Why is this news.rnrnWhy is any of this news? Why the press release?
Anonymous

Recent HUD MIC reports have an issue where a few brokers such as Guardian First are being switched with the sponsoring lender, making it appear as if the retail volume for the broker is less than what it actually is (and inflating the retail volume of the sponsor firms). We’ve been in communication with HUD regarding this issue – hopefully there is a fix coming soon so the true volumes are being reported.
Anonymous

I’m a little surprised at the graph indicating HECM Volume for Guardian. I see why RMD would note that the numbers from Oct, Nov, and Dec are provided by Guardian because there is an enormous descrepency between actual published numbers from HUD and what has been provided by Guardian. Guardian states that they closed 150 Hecms in October, 162 in November, and 147 in December. Every HECM activity report that I’m looking at shows October Fundings of 35, November Fundings at 27, and December Fundings at 14. Not to mention January shows 4 Fundings. If there is a lag in reporting of endorsements, I’m sure they would have caught up by December for Reporting purposes.rnJust wondering where the disconnect might be in reporting. rn
Anonymous

There is little doubt that the addition of both Mr. David Peskin and Mr. Kenneth Peskin will be a real boast to Guardian. Although some in the industry will disagree, it has been good to see Mr. Wagner involved in our industry through Guardian in the past and now much more in the future. rnrnEven though there is an “anti-Hollywood” attitude among some, our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign and Mr. Robert Wagner carried it on. Now with Mr. Peter Graves also in the industry, much of the gap left by the demise of SLN should be filled in and moving forward.rnrnCongratulations on a great move by all.
Anonymous

Reverse Marketing,rnrnI’m not sure your comment is well thought out. Regardless if you broker a deal or not, the numbers show up for the company that originated it. rnrn”Simplier”? What Sales Process are you referring to? rnI’m not sure what you are saying in your second part of the comment.rnCould you make your statement a little clearer. rnIf you are saying you can fast track this sales process, you are sadly mistaken. This clientele needs to be educated, not run through a “simplier (sic) process”.rnI’m not sure what clients you are speaking with but there still are a number of people that have no idea what a RM is. Just ask them…..rnrnrn
Anonymous

For Momea and Mr. Skeptic,rnObviously you have never made the transition to a full eagle hence your comments are not thought out. rnrnBecause of their foresight with advertising, the sales process is simplier. No longer are we explaining what a reverse mortgage is…it is done. Those TV commercials are a lot better than the black eyes this industry is getting from those direct mail letters!!!
Anonymous

There are alot of people that know the Peskins and know what they are all about. Karma is coming for them.
Anonymous

Its always good to see growth and new ideas/people enter the RM club. David Peskin did a lot of good for the RM industry in the past and I am sure he will continue to do so.
Anonymous

Robert Wagner celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday.rnHe and Peter Graves have done Wonders to bring Reverse Mortgages to the Forefront of American Seniors.rnAll in our industry benefit Greatly from their association.rn
Anonymous

rainmand,rnrnThe first SLN spokesman was Mr. Jerry Orbach. When he passed away the family refused to allow SLN to keep broadcasting the spots. He was a terrific spokesperson; some say the best so far. Mr. Robert Wagner filled his shoes and took SLN to the next level.rn
Anonymous

>>our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign rnrnIt wasn’t Jerry Orbach I remember – it’s James Garner. My life became easier when James began endorsing Reverse Mortgages for Financial Freedom, and it got even better when Robert Wagner began endorsing them for LLS, approximately 6 months later. I spoke to thousands of Reverse Mortgage candidates during that period of time, and many of them mentioned James and Robert, but not a single one mentioned Jerry.
Anonymous

Agree with Mr. Skeptic. Old news.
Anonymous

Momea is absolutely right. Some serious fuzzy math there. Some more odd things about that article;rnrna. Robert Wagner has been used by Guardian on their website and on cable ads for six months.rnb. Guardian reported on this site that they had become Bankers six months ago. The Peskins have been involved with them for a long time. Why is this news.rnrnWhy is any of this news? Why the press release?
Anonymous

Recent HUD MIC reports have an issue where a few brokers such as Guardian First are being switched with the sponsoring lender, making it appear as if the retail volume for the broker is less than what it actually is (and inflating the retail volume of the sponsor firms). We’ve been in communication with HUD regarding this issue – hopefully there is a fix coming soon so the true volumes are being reported.
Anonymous

I’m a little surprised at the graph indicating HECM Volume for Guardian. I see why RMD would note that the numbers from Oct, Nov, and Dec are provided by Guardian because there is an enormous descrepency between actual published numbers from HUD and what has been provided by Guardian. Guardian states that they closed 150 Hecms in October, 162 in November, and 147 in December. Every HECM activity report that I’m looking at shows October Fundings of 35, November Fundings at 27, and December Fundings at 14. Not to mention January shows 4 Fundings. If there is a lag in reporting of endorsements, I’m sure they would have caught up by December for Reporting purposes.rnJust wondering where the disconnect might be in reporting. rn
Anonymous

Reverse Marketing,rnrnI’m not sure your comment is well thought out. Regardless if you broker a deal or not, the numbers show up for the company that originated it. rnrn”Simplier”? What Sales Process are you referring to? rnI’m not sure what you are saying in your second part of the comment.rnCould you make your statement a little clearer. rnIf you are saying you can fast track this sales process, you are sadly mistaken. This clientele needs to be educated, not run through a “simplier (sic) process”.rnI’m not sure what clients you are speaking with but there still are a number of people that have no idea what a RM is. Just ask them…..rnrnrn
Anonymous

For Momea and Mr. Skeptic,rnObviously you have never made the transition to a full eagle hence your comments are not thought out. rnrnBecause of their foresight with advertising, the sales process is simplier. No longer are we explaining what a reverse mortgage is…it is done. Those TV commercials are a lot better than the black eyes this industry is getting from those direct mail letters!!!
Anonymous

There are alot of people that know the Peskins and know what they are all about. Karma is coming for them.
Anonymous

Its always good to see growth and new ideas/people enter the RM club. David Peskin did a lot of good for the RM industry in the past and I am sure he will continue to do so.
Anonymous

Robert Wagner celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday.rnHe and Peter Graves have done Wonders to bring Reverse Mortgages to the Forefront of American Seniors.rnAll in our industry benefit Greatly from their association.rn
Anonymous

rainmand,rnrnThe first SLN spokesman was Mr. Jerry Orbach. When he passed away the family refused to allow SLN to keep broadcasting the spots. He was a terrific spokesperson; some say the best so far. Mr. Robert Wagner filled his shoes and took SLN to the next level.rn
Anonymous

>>our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign rnrnIt wasn’t Jerry Orbach I remember – it’s James Garner. My life became easier when James began endorsing Reverse Mortgages for Financial Freedom, and it got even better when Robert Wagner began endorsing them for LLS, approximately 6 months later. I spoke to thousands of Reverse Mortgage candidates during that period of time, and many of them mentioned James and Robert, but not a single one mentioned Jerry.
Anonymous

Agree with Mr. Skeptic. Old news.
Anonymous

There is little doubt that the addition of both Mr. David Peskin and Mr. Kenneth Peskin will be a real boast to Guardian. Although some in the industry will disagree, it has been good to see Mr. Wagner involved in our industry through Guardian in the past and now much more in the future. rnrnEven though there is an “anti-Hollywood” attitude among some, our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign and Mr. Robert Wagner carried it on. Now with Mr. Peter Graves also in the industry, much of the gap left by the demise of SLN should be filled in and moving forward.rnrnCongratulations on a great move by all.
Anonymous

Momea is absolutely right. Some serious fuzzy math there. Some more odd things about that article;rnrna. Robert Wagner has been used by Guardian on their website and on cable ads for six months.rnb. Guardian reported on this site that they had become Bankers six months ago. The Peskins have been involved with them for a long time. Why is this news.rnrnWhy is any of this news? Why the press release?
Anonymous

Recent HUD MIC reports have an issue where a few brokers such as Guardian First are being switched with the sponsoring lender, making it appear as if the retail volume for the broker is less than what it actually is (and inflating the retail volume of the sponsor firms). We’ve been in communication with HUD regarding this issue – hopefully there is a fix coming soon so the true volumes are being reported.
Anonymous

I’m a little surprised at the graph indicating HECM Volume for Guardian. I see why RMD would note that the numbers from Oct, Nov, and Dec are provided by Guardian because there is an enormous descrepency between actual published numbers from HUD and what has been provided by Guardian. Guardian states that they closed 150 Hecms in October, 162 in November, and 147 in December. Every HECM activity report that I’m looking at shows October Fundings of 35, November Fundings at 27, and December Fundings at 14. Not to mention January shows 4 Fundings. If there is a lag in reporting of endorsements, I’m sure they would have caught up by December for Reporting purposes.rnJust wondering where the disconnect might be in reporting. rn
Anonymous

There is little doubt that the addition of both Mr. David Peskin and Mr. Kenneth Peskin will be a real boast to Guardian. Although some in the industry will disagree, it has been good to see Mr. Wagner involved in our industry through Guardian in the past and now much more in the future. rnrnEven though there is an “anti-Hollywood” attitude among some, our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign and Mr. Robert Wagner carried it on. Now with Mr. Peter Graves also in the industry, much of the gap left by the demise of SLN should be filled in and moving forward.rnrnCongratulations on a great move by all.
Anonymous

Reverse Marketing,rnrnI’m not sure your comment is well thought out. Regardless if you broker a deal or not, the numbers show up for the company that originated it. rnrn”Simplier”? What Sales Process are you referring to? rnI’m not sure what you are saying in your second part of the comment.rnCould you make your statement a little clearer. rnIf you are saying you can fast track this sales process, you are sadly mistaken. This clientele needs to be educated, not run through a “simplier (sic) process”.rnI’m not sure what clients you are speaking with but there still are a number of people that have no idea what a RM is. Just ask them…..rnrnrn
Anonymous

For Momea and Mr. Skeptic,rnObviously you have never made the transition to a full eagle hence your comments are not thought out. rnrnBecause of their foresight with advertising, the sales process is simplier. No longer are we explaining what a reverse mortgage is…it is done. Those TV commercials are a lot better than the black eyes this industry is getting from those direct mail letters!!!
Anonymous

There are alot of people that know the Peskins and know what they are all about. Karma is coming for them.
Anonymous

Its always good to see growth and new ideas/people enter the RM club. David Peskin did a lot of good for the RM industry in the past and I am sure he will continue to do so.
Anonymous

Robert Wagner celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday.rnHe and Peter Graves have done Wonders to bring Reverse Mortgages to the Forefront of American Seniors.rnAll in our industry benefit Greatly from their association.rn
Anonymous

rainmand,rnrnThe first SLN spokesman was Mr. Jerry Orbach. When he passed away the family refused to allow SLN to keep broadcasting the spots. He was a terrific spokesperson; some say the best so far. Mr. Robert Wagner filled his shoes and took SLN to the next level.rn
Anonymous

>>our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign rnrnIt wasn’t Jerry Orbach I remember – it’s James Garner. My life became easier when James began endorsing Reverse Mortgages for Financial Freedom, and it got even better when Robert Wagner began endorsing them for LLS, approximately 6 months later. I spoke to thousands of Reverse Mortgage candidates during that period of time, and many of them mentioned James and Robert, but not a single one mentioned Jerry.
Anonymous

Agree with Mr. Skeptic. Old news.
Anonymous

Momea is absolutely right. Some serious fuzzy math there. Some more odd things about that article;rnrna. Robert Wagner has been used by Guardian on their website and on cable ads for six months.rnb. Guardian reported on this site that they had become Bankers six months ago. The Peskins have been involved with them for a long time. Why is this news.rnrnWhy is any of this news? Why the press release?
Anonymous

Recent HUD MIC reports have an issue where a few brokers such as Guardian First are being switched with the sponsoring lender, making it appear as if the retail volume for the broker is less than what it actually is (and inflating the retail volume of the sponsor firms). We’ve been in communication with HUD regarding this issue – hopefully there is a fix coming soon so the true volumes are being reported.
Anonymous

I’m a little surprised at the graph indicating HECM Volume for Guardian. I see why RMD would note that the numbers from Oct, Nov, and Dec are provided by Guardian because there is an enormous descrepency between actual published numbers from HUD and what has been provided by Guardian. Guardian states that they closed 150 Hecms in October, 162 in November, and 147 in December. Every HECM activity report that I’m looking at shows October Fundings of 35, November Fundings at 27, and December Fundings at 14. Not to mention January shows 4 Fundings. If there is a lag in reporting of endorsements, I’m sure they would have caught up by December for Reporting purposes.rnJust wondering where the disconnect might be in reporting. rn
Anonymous

There is little doubt that the addition of both Mr. David Peskin and Mr. Kenneth Peskin will be a real boast to Guardian. Although some in the industry will disagree, it has been good to see Mr. Wagner involved in our industry through Guardian in the past and now much more in the future. rnrnEven though there is an “anti-Hollywood” attitude among some, our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign and Mr. Robert Wagner carried it on. Now with Mr. Peter Graves also in the industry, much of the gap left by the demise of SLN should be filled in and moving forward.rnrnCongratulations on a great move by all.
James_E_Veale_CPA_MBT

There is little doubt that the addition of both Mr. David Peskin and Mr. Kenneth Peskin will be a real boast to the Guardian. Although some in the industry will disagree, it has been good to see Mr. Wagner involved in our industry through Guardian in the past and now much in the future.

Even though there is an “anti-Hollywood” attitude among some, our industry never did as well as when Mr. Jerry Orbach began the SLN marketing television campaign and Mr. Robert Wagner carried it on. Now with Mr. Peter Graves also in the industry, much of the gap left by the demise of SLN should be filled in and moving forward.

Congratulations on a great move by all.
momea

I'm a little surprised at the graph indicating HECM Volume for Guardian. I see why RMD would note that the numbers from Oct, Nov, and Dec are provided by Guardian because there is an enormous descrepency between actual published numbers from HUD and what has been provided by Guardian. Guardian states that they closed 150 Hecms in October, 162 in November, and 147 in December. Every HECM activity report that I'm looking at shows October Fundings of 35, November Fundings at 27, and December Fundings at 14. Not to mention January shows 4 Fundings. If there is a lag in reporting of endorsements, I'm sure they would have caught up by December for Reporting purposes.
Just wondering where the disconnect might be in reporting.