Dallas, TX - June 3, 2003
Vertical Lend's president and CEO, David Peskin speaks at the Independent Association of Jackson Hewitt Franchisees' National Conference. The discussion theme of business efficiency and enhancement opportunities provided an ideal platform for Peskin to discuss the Vertical Lend concept.

Peskin addressed a crowd of 200 Jackson Hewitt Franchise owners regarding the benefits of diversifying their businesses. He discussed how adding mortgage lending to their menu of services via Vertical Lend, makes business sense for tax preparers. Most of those present at the conference were seasoned tax professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to growing their businesses. "We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from attendees regarding the Vertical Lend program and the opportunities available to diversify their business offerings," said Peskin.

Jackson Hewitt boasts a client retention rate of 55% and according to the Vertical Lend model, this will increase as franchise owners expand their services into mortgages. A National Conference representative explained that "The board selected David (Peskin) to speak as we saw both he and Vertical Lend as great fits for our conference. David is insightful about our industry and the Vertical Lend program will allow Jackson Hewitt to conduct business year-round rather than drastically peaking near April 15th."

Vertical Lend

Vertical Lend enables financial professionals to offer clients a suite of residential mortgage products. Established in 1995, Vertical Lend and its retail division, Mortgage Warehouse, have closed over $1.5 billion in loans. With over 1600 associates throughout the U.S., Vertical Lend's unique platform allows accountants, financial planners, tax preparers and insurance agents to originate mortgages under its business model. Headquartered in Melville, NY, contact us at www.verticallend.com or by calling 1-877-692-7762.