Reza Jahangiri (born June 9, 1978) is an American entrepreneur. He is the CEO of American Advisors Group (AAG) and past co-chair of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA). He was also senior publisher for The Reverse Review until it was sold to HousingWire in 2018.[1][2][3]

Reza Jahangiri
Jahangiri on set for "Retire Better" TV spot
Born (1978-06-09) June 9, 1978 (age 45)
OccupationCEO of American Advisors Group
Spouse
(m. 2013)
Children3

Education edit

Jahangiri graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 2000, and went on to obtain his Juris Doctor from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2004.[4] He graduated from Corona del Mar high school in Newport Beach, CA, in 1997.[5]

Early career edit

Prior to his involvement in the reverse mortgage industry, Jahangiri was a founding partner of HeartSavers, a preventative medical imaging company that worked with Johns Hopkins Hospital on the early detection of heart disease and cancer.[6][7] He was also responsible for launching Imaging Venture Group, a healthcare consulting company that supplied medical equipment to private medical practices.

Career edit

In 2004, Jahangiri became founder and CEO of American Advisors Group (AAG), a reverse mortgage lending company based in Orange County, CA.[6] He started AAG to help address the financial crisis of a growing 65-and-older population by utilizing an underutilized asset, home equity. [1] In 2010, AAG launched its Fred Thompson campaign, signing on the famous politician and actor as their national spokesperson.[8] Thompson passed away on November 1, 2015, at the age of 73 from a recurrence of lymphoma.[9] AAG announced in June 2016, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor, Tom Selleck, as their new national spokesperson.[10]

In December 2021, Jahangiri was interviewed by the Orange County Business Journal when AAG was selected as a "Company That Cares."[2]. In 2017, Jahangiri reported to Forbes that AAG had been profitable for seven consecutive years.[11] Also in 2017, Jahangiri was interviewed by the Orange County Register for an article profiling AAG's rise in the reverse mortgage industry.[12] The following year, Jahangiri was interviewed by HousingWire about AAG's expansion into conventional and FHA refinance loans, as well as real estate services for the senior demographic.[13]

In 2018, Jahangiri received Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in the financial services category in Orange County.[14] That same year, he was named to the Orange County Business Journal's OC 500 list, honoring the most influential individuals in Orange County.[15] The following year, in 2019, Jahangiri was honored with an Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award by the Orange County business community.[16]

Industry affiliations edit

Jahangiri is an active member of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA), serving as the past co-chair of the organization's board of directors [3]. NRMLA is the national voice of the reverse mortgage industry, serving as an educational resource, policy advocate and public affairs center for lenders and related professionals. In 2017, Jahangiri joined the University of California, Irvine Chief Executive Roundtable. The Roundtable was established by UCI in 1986 as a gateway to the mutually beneficial cooperation and knowledge transfer between the business community and the university.[17] In 2021, Jahangiri joined the Executive Committee of the CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLA-OC), an organization that brings together purposeful CEOs to help build high performing organizations and a better world. [4].

Humanitarian efforts edit

In 2011, Jahangiri created the AAG Gives Back campaign, a committee dedicated to supporting various local and global charities.[18] Willow International, became the anchor program for AAG Gives Back after Jahangiri's visit to Gulu, Uganda in August 2011.[19] Willow International is a nonprofit organization that was founded in Uganda in 2009. The organization is dedicated to preventing human trafficking, rescuing victims, and providing aftercare for survivors.[20] The AAG Foundation launched in 2015, as the AAG Gives Back campaign evolved, and focuses on helping those in need and encouraging the workforce to make a difference. [5]

Personal life edit

Jahangiri married actress Kate Levering on April 20, 2013 at The Beverly Hills Hotel.[21] They have three sons, Holden Robert, born in July 2013 Greyson Robert, born in September 2015, and Ashton Robert born July 2018.[22][23]

References edit

  1. ^ Hicks, Shannon “Loans by Phones”, Reverse Mortgage, July–August 2012 Vol. 5 No. 4
  2. ^ Billingsley, Eric “Reverse Mortgage Lending Sees Consolidation, Stimulus Boost", Orange County Business Journal, 19 January 2012
  3. ^ "NRMLA > About NRMLA > Board / Staff > Board List". Nrmlaonline.org. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  4. ^ Uria, Deidre “Drop Dead Diva Actress Kate Levering Expecting First Child”, Parent Society, 8 March 2013
  5. ^ "Reza Jahangiri". Classmates.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Yedinak, John “How I Got My Reverse Mortgage Start: Reza Jahangiri, American Advisors Group”, Reverse Mortgage Daily, 29 July 2012
  7. ^ "Heart Savers Llc in Irvine, CA 92604". ChamberofCommerce.com. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Sen. Fred Thompson named national reverse mortgage spokesman for American Advisors Group". Nationalmortgageprofessional.com. June 14, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Garrison, Joey. "Fred Thompson, with larger-than-life persona, dies at 73". Tennessean.com. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "Tom Selleck Named American Advisors Group (AAG) National Spokesman". Businesswire.com (Press release). June 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  11. ^ Gensler, Lauren. "This Man Has The Answer To America's Retirement Crisis (And No One Will Listen)". Forbes. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "How Tom Selleck helped a reverse mortgage lender rise to the top". September 2017.
  13. ^ "Q&A: AAG's Reza Jahangiri doubles down on the home equity market". August 24, 2018.
  14. ^ "EY - Building a better working world". Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  15. ^ "Reza Jahangiri". June 5, 2018.
  16. ^ "Business Journal Honors Five Entrepreneurs". March 12, 2019.
  17. ^ "Profile - UCI | Chief Executive Roundtable". www.roundtable.uci.edu. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  18. ^ "American Advisors Group Gives Back - The Kwagala Project". Aagreversemortgage-cares.com. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  19. ^ "Lifetime's Kate Levering Visits Total Impact House | Kwagala Project Blog". Kwagalaproject.org. September 8, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  20. ^ "Williow International". Willowintl.org. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  21. ^ Nudd, Tim (May 3, 2013). "Kate Levering Marries Reza Jahangiri". People. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  22. ^ "Kate Levering Welcomes Son Holden Robert". People. August 28, 2013. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  23. ^ "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved April 7, 2017.