Overland Park mortgage lender expands in new location

Mortgage Lenders of America has moved into a new headquarters with an eye toward future growth.

The Overland Park-based company, which focuses primarily on online lending, recently relocated to 10975 El Monte. The 72,000-square-foot building is more than three times the size of its previous headquarters at 8400 W. 110th St.

Mortgage Lenders purchased the building about a year ago, and said it spent $8 million to renovate it.

“Moving into the new building signals the start of a rapid expansion that has been in the planning phase for the last two years,” Philip Kneibert, the company’s president said in a statement.

Mortgage Lenders was founded in 2000 and is licensed to transact business in 34 states. The company said about 90 percent of its home loan business is handled online, and it expects that market to continue to grow as potential home buyers become more comfortable making financial transactions on the Internet.

The company, which is privately owned, currently has about 140 employees, but said it expects employment to climb to 430 in the next several years.

The building on El Monte was designed to include onsite fitness facilities, break rooms with bar seating and an outdoor patio and grill. J.E. Dunn Construction was the general contractor; the designer was Bell/Knott & Associates.

This story was originally published March 17, 2015 at 3:00 AM.