Bill Giambrone, the co-founder of Platinum Home Mortgage Corp. and the Community Home Lenders Association (CHLA), passed away on Aug. 5 at the age of 60.
Giambrone teamed with his brother Michael Giambrone to create Platinum Home Mortgage in 1993. Thirty years later, the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company was acquired by Planet Home Lending.
In 2010, Giambrone partnered with Don Calcaterra, Jr. and David Wind in founding the CHLA, serving as the organization’s first president.
“On behalf of everyone at CHLA, we are in mourning today over the passing of Bill Giambrone, a founder and the first president of CHLA,” said Scott Olson, executive director of the CHLA. “Bill filled the room with his intelligence and boundless energy and I will miss him dearly.”
Lee Gross, president of Platinum Home Mortgage, added, “Bill was a tremendous leader and pioneer of the mortgage industry. Not only was he a co-founder of a first-generation full-service mortgage banker, but he was also active in many industry advocacy groups and a principal member of CHLA, a group he helped create to ensure Independent Mortgage Bankers had a voice. He was a great business partner as much as a friend and I’ll miss his friendship every day; Bill was truly one of a kind.”
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