ESSENCE Magazine Names Quicken Loans #1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans

DETROIT, Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Quicken Loans, the nation's second largest retail mortgage lender, today ranked #1 on ESSENCE magazine's inaugural "10 Best Workplaces for African Americans" list. Additionally, FORTUNE magazine today placed Quicken Loans 13^th on its "50 Best Companies to Work for Diversity" list.

The Great Place to Work Institute has partnered with ESSENCE and FORTUNE to determine the "10 Best Workplaces for African Americans" and "50 Best Companies to Work for Diversity" lists. Results were determined based on team member surveys conducted and overall gender, race and ethnicity demographics compiled by the Great Place to Work Institute.

"It's impossible to replicate the energy, diversity and creativity of an office located in the heart of vibrant urban cores like Detroit and Cleveland," said Bill Emerson, Quicken Loans CEO. "Since moving our headquarters to downtown Detroit, the city has helped us attract and build a diverse, world-class team while fueling innovation at an incredible rate."

In 2010, Quicken Loans began a move of its headquarters to Detroit's central business district. Since then, the company and its affiliates have hired more than 11,000 team members, with more than 33 percent, or approximately 3,800, of those full-time positions being filled by African Americans.  In addition, the organization has invested considerably in its hometown through a variety of community programs focusing on neighborhood and workforce development, among other initiatives.

Quicken Loans places a tremendous amount of its attention and resources towards ensuring it maintains and grows a diverse workplace.  The company's culture of inclusion is driven by its Diversity and Inclusion team – a group of senior leaders and team members who focus on mentorship for aspiring and existing leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds, while also educating on the importance of diversity in the workplace. Furthermore, the team is tasked with examining the changing demographics of the housing market to ensure the company is proactive and responsive to the needs of its clients.

"Building and uplifting a diverse workforce is essential to the health of any organization," said LaShandra Sartor, Divisional Vice President of Business Consulting and leader of the Diversity and Inclusion team at Quicken Loans. "There has to be an understanding and comfort with the belief that differing opinions and viewpoints are healthy and a sign of a company that truly realizes its workplace must be as unique as the clients it serves."

For five consecutive years, Quicken Loans has been ranked the highest in customer satisfaction for mortgage origination among all home loan lenders in America by J.D. Power and highest in customer satisfaction for mortgage servicing the past two years.  

FORTUNE and ESSENCE partnered with the Great Place to Work Institute to develop a comprehensive team member survey that examines satisfaction through questions about compensation, empowerment and training to rank the companies. The survey is randomly distributed to team members, with the results of the survey accounting for two-thirds of the overall company score. The remaining company score is determined through the Great Place to Work Institute's Culture Audit, a series of questions and surveys on benefits, hiring and recognition.

About Quicken Loans:
Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's second largest retail home mortgage lender. The company closed $200 billion of mortgage volume across all 50 states since 2013. Quicken Loans generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Primary Mortgage Origination" in the United States by J.D. Power for the past five consecutive years (2010 – 2014) and highest in customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers in 2014 and 2015.

Quicken Loans was named among the top-30 companies on FORTUNE magazine's annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the last 12 consecutive years, ranking No. 12 in 2015. It has been recognized as one of Computerworld magazine's '100 Best Places to Work in IT' the past 11 years, ranking No. 1 in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2007, 2006 and 2005. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010, and now more than 10,000 of its 13,000 team members work in the city's urban core. For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit QuickenLoans.com, on Twitter at @QLnews and on Facebook at Facebook.com/QuickenLoans.

SOURCE Quicken Loans