Online Lender Offers Wildfire Discount

HomeLoanCenter.com, an online mortgage lender based in Irvine, Calif., has announced a discount of up to $5,000 for victims of the Southern California wildfires on closing fees for the purchase of a new home.The program, a cash credit toward escrow to offset closing costs on a home purchase, will be available to all wildfire victims until May 2004, the company said. The discount will be made at the point of sale upon verification that the borrower lived in the area affected by the wildfires. "This is the least we can offer to California fire victims in the aftermath of this tragic disaster," said Anthony Hsieh, founder and chief executive officer of HomeLoanCenter.com.