Hispanic National Mortgage Association and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Form Joint Venture

“The Hispanic National Mortgage Association HNMA, a company focused on increasing homeownership opportunities within the Hispanic market, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a division of Wells Fargo Bank and the nations leading retail mortgage lender, jointly announced today that they have formed a retail joint venture that will offer traditional mortgage lending products and services, and special resources to assist Hispanic and non-traditional customers seeking residential mortgage loans.

The joint venture is called ILUMINA Mortgage, LLC, to evoke clarity and transparency in the homeownership process. ILUMINA will offer Hispanic and other immigrant borrowers a wide range of home financing products in a culturally appropriate retail environment, and with a culturally sensitive home financing experience tailored to their needs.

“Generally, immigrant and other underserved borrowers have limited alternatives when it comes to home financing: deal with brokers who may be less reputable or try to work with trustworthy but more rigid institutions. Customers seeking home financing often have to sort through a maze of loan options, and then go through a home financing experience that isnt calibrated to their needs,” explained Leonardo Simpser, managing director of HNMA. “ILUMINA is the result of months of research, planning and development. At ILUMINA, customers will deal with experienced bilingual mortgage counselors, who are trained to understand the non-traditional circumstances of these borrowers. They will have access to flexible mortgage programs, at competitive rates, all offered by a trustworthy, world-class lender. ILUMINA will raise the bar when it comes to providing services for this underserved market.”

Joe Jackson, head of Wells Fargo Ventures, called homeownership the platform on which customers can build their financial future. “Working with a knowledgeable partner, like HNMA, enables us to better target our efforts with the creditworthy but underserved segments of the Hispanic and immigrant markets,” he said.

ILUMINA has begun hiring experienced, bilingual and bicultural loan consultants in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas and plans to open branches in major US metropolitan areas. Its first branch will open in January of 2007 in Fontana San Bernardino County, followed by Riverside and Phoenix. All counselors and branches will have access to:

— In-culture dedicated processing teams

— Bilingual information

— Bilingual phone line 1-888-3-ILUMINA / 1-888-345-8646

— Experienced bilingual consultants

— Products that meet the needs of underserved borrowers

— Wells Fargos full product platform

For more information, please visit www.iluminamortgage.com“

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