Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois welcomed Ameriquest and Argent Mortgage as they announced plans for a major overhaul of its mortgage operations within the state of Illinois. The expansion of their existing operations will create an additional 2,000 plus jobs incrementally over the next three years.

Senior Executive Vice President of Ameriquest Mortgage , Adam Bass, who joined Gov. Blagojevich, said that the company will be subleasing the entire 300,000-square-foot building located in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Bass explained that of the 2000 plus management and mortgage servicing jobs, Ameriquest will be responsible for approximately 1,500 and Argent Mortgage the remaining 500.

Both Ameriquest and Argent Mortgage are affiliates of Ameriquest Capital Corporation. Providers of financial services, their headquarters are located in Orange, California. While Ameriquest is a nation-wide consumer-oriented mortgage company, Argent Mortgage is a nation-wide wholesale lender that funds consumers via transactions made with independent mortgage bankers.

Beginning January 2005, the company will begin moving forward on its plans for growth.

As Bass stated, they are pleased to be contributing to Illinois’ economy with the possibility of providing jobs to residents. He considers this to be a critical step in the further growth of Ameriquest and Argent’s service provisions. As the company has longevity with respect to its Illinois operations, they feel good about being able to offer expand their presence and become an even larger provider within the state.

Since 1995, Ameriquest has been actively operating within Illinois. In 2002, Argent started up its loan origination facility in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Governor Blagojevich said that he believes Ameriquest’s quest to create over 2,000 new jobs demonstrates their commitment to the area, as well as, a validation for the city of Schaumburg and state of Illinois.