First California Mortgage Company (First Cal) announced today a major expansion in its Pacific Northwest operations with the hiring of Regional Vice President Travis Newbauer, a 12-year industry veteran with tenure at firms such as Envoy Mortgage, Eagle Home Mortgage and GMAC Mortgage.

Newbauer will have responsibility over Washington and Oregon, and he joins First Cal with eight other experienced loan officers in the Kirkland and Bellevue area. The group will be based in the firm’s Kirkland branch at 4040 Lake Washington Boulevard.

First Cal’s new loan officers include Newbauer, Paul Berry, Wayland Coleman, Jeremiah Hackbart, Eric Hildebrand, Greg Prendergast, Jose Puebla, Zachary Smith and Esteban Valenzuela.

Newbauer said First Cal’s growth in the Northwest will continue with the opening of Bellevue and Seattle branches in coming months, and is recruiting loan officers, loan processors, loan officer assistants and underwriters for further expansion in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

“First Cal’s platform is the right fit for today’s highly competitive purchase market,” Newbauer said. “Strong financial stability, a focus on excellent service and the operational support necessary to execute at the highest level were some of the driving forces in my decision to join this talented team. The firm offers the highly competitive rates you expect from a national lender and still offers the personal service of a hometown bank. That’s perfect synergy for our employees, our clients and our industry partners.”

First Cal is bullish on Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

“We’ve been active in the Pacific Northwest for years, and have steadily grown our local teams of late – and will continue expanding,” said First Cal President Chris Hart. “With Bellevue’s population up 22 percent since 2000 and Kirkland’s up 87 percent, the demand for home loans is also rising.”