Bank of the West, the US-based subsidiary of BNP Paribas that has been ramping up its wealth division of late, has launched a private mortgage banking service for its affluent and high net worth clientele.

The team includes private mortgage bankers and product development, underwriting and loan processing staff, which together will address the real estate financing needs of HNW individuals as part of the bank’s “expanding wealth management offering,” it said.  

Clients will be put in touch with the team via private client advisors at the bank’s wealth management unit.

Last year Bank of the West announced initiatives to create a new private client services model targeting affluent and high net worth clients, including the creation of number of private client advisor roles and the launch of five specialist “client centers” – four of which have now been opened.

The key markets for the initiative include the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas, CA, Orange County, CA, Denver, CO, Albuquerque, NM, Omaha, NE and Fargo, ND.