New Mercy Loan Fund President Appointed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Mercy Loan Fund President Appointed

Denver, Colorado (03/19/15) – Mercy Loan Fund (MLF) is pleased to announce that Jason Battista will be appointed as President of the Loan Fund on May 1, 2015. Jason joined Mercy Loan Fund in 2009 and since then has proven his ability to balance the mission and the business. This year, the Denver Business Journal recognized Jason with their prestigious 40 Under 40 award for professionals. Along with the MLF team, over the last five+ years, they have financed almost $100 million in affordable loans leveraging $500 million in total projects. Jason will become the youngest President of a business center at Mercy Housing.

Jason received his undergraduate degree in Finance, received an MBA from the University of Colorado, and subsequently joined FirstBank Holding Company in Colorado. Within six months he was promoted to the management team where he managed two departments with 15 employees and specialized in originating commercial real estate loans.

In 2014, Jason worked on the capital-raising side of the MLF business achieving the goal of FHLB of Topeka membership giving Mercy Loan Fund immediate access to nearly $4 million in low cost investments by year end with the opportunity for much greater capital availability in the future.  Jason did this while leading the team to a record $30 million in lending.

Jason is considered a leader in the affordable housing community.  He sourced a key investment in the Denver metro Transit Oriented Development Fund.  The Fund includes investments by leaders in the housing finance arena including major banks and foundations.  At the deal closing, Jason was elected by the other investment partners to be on the Strategic Oversight Committee to provide leadership to the Fund to preserve 2,000 affordable housing units along major transportation routes in the Denver Metro Area.

Julie Gould, current President of Mercy Loan Fund, will be leaving in May to pursue her next career in urban planning and documentary photography in the Washington, DC area. Julie has been a part of Mercy Housing for the past 14 years. In her time with Mercy Housing and Mercy Loan Fund, Julie has raised $50+ million in new capital, increased total assets by 50%, received a coveted CDFI award four years in a row, dropped to 0% delinquencies, completed the first community health center deal, increased loans outstanding by over 100%, hosted the first MLF-led congressional bus tour in DC, and built a high performing team. She also chaired the Mercy Loan Fund Board when she was a member of the Mercy Housing Board of Trustees.

Julie recommended Jason Battista as President of the Loan Fund not only because of his achievements but also his commitment to the mission and vision of Mercy Housing. Jason states: “Julie Gould has been the quintessential ‘lead-by-example’ leader at Mercy Loan Fund, and one of my most consequential personal mentors. I certainly have some large shoes to fill.  Julie is leaving Mercy Loan Fund in a position of strength and has positioned us well for future success. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Julie for so many years and look forward to continuing her legacy of taking responsible risk, striving for social and economic justice, leading with compassion and humility, investing in people and the team, and cultivating a culture of excellence.”

About Mercy Loan Fund

Celebrating its 30th year, Mercy Loan Fund, a subsidiary of the national affordable housing organization Mercy Housing, provides financing to hundreds of local nonprofit organizations, enabling them to build or preserve affordable housing in their communities. Since 1985, the organization has made 470 loans in 39 states totaling $267 million, resulting in 20,500 affordable homes for over 55,000 residents. These loans have leveraged more than $1.79 billion in total development funding. Mercy Loan Fund is certified by the U.S. Treasury Department as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Mercy Loan Fund was formed with the goal of supporting the mission of Mercy Housing by making loans for affordable housing developments when conventional financing is not affordable or available. For information about Mercy Loan Fund, please visit www.mercyloanfund.org.