Tamalpais Bank Forms Mortgage Alliance

Tamalpais Bank, San Rafael, Calif., has announced a partnership with First California Mortgage Co., Petaluma, Calif., under which the bank will offer residential mortgage loans of up to $10 million. The loans will be available for purchases and refinancings of properties located in California. Mark Garwood, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Tamalpais, said the bank is "heeding the call" of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, who has suggested that community banks play a larger role in home mortgage lending. "Every day we learn about cutbacks in home lending by large banks and mortgage banking companies," Mr. Garwood said. "We believe we have an obligation to step in to provide home loans in the communities we serve." Tamalpais can be found on the Web at http://www.tambancorp.com.