Detroit-based mortgage lender Quicken Loans Inc. has signed on a new New York-based media agency that expects to locate 150 employees in a new office downtown.

Universal McCann and Quicken Loans agreed early last week to a "long-term" deal to bring the media company on as official agency of record, pushing the lender and its Rocket Mortgage brand's media strategy forward, according to a news release.

Quicken Loans declined to release terms of the agreement.

Universal McCann's new presence will supplement its existing office in Birmingham, which serves clients including FCA US LLC, said Scott Russell, president of its central region. Some — but not a substantial portion — of the Detroit employees will come from the Birmingham office, Russell said.

"We're really looking at this as an expansion, more than relocating," he said. "We're looking at the two offices working in a very fluid fashion."

Universal McCann likes being close to its clients, Russell said, and the downtown move puts it in Quicken Loans' backyard. The new office will employ a mix of existing employees and new hires; he declined to specify numbers.

It'll start as a 40-employee team, mostly devoted to the Quicken Loans contract, in the 1001 Woodward Ave. building under Bedrock LLC's management. Bedrock is also part of billionaire Dan Gilbert's family of companies, alongside Quicken Loans.

Next year the team would move into a permanent, 23,000-square-foot office in the Bedrock-owned First National Building, a 26-story Albert Kahn-designed tower on the edge of Campus Martius Park. It will aim to grow to 150 staff there.

Bedrock declined to disclose lease terms.

The move is part of the media company's Midwest growth, under parent company Interpublic Group's IPG Mediabrands. Mediabrands has around 400 employees in Birmingham; the number of employees specific to Universal McCann wasn't immediately available.

Gilbert's lender selected Universal McCann through an extensive search process as it is "winding down" relationships with Chicago-based ad agency Eicoff and New York-based ActiveMedia, Quicken Loans Chief Marketing Officer Casey Hurbis said.

"As we continue to grow and expand, we decided it was time to look for a new agency partner and we found the perfect one in UM," Hurbis said. "They're tech forward ... they are also a great cultural fit for us ... Working with an innovative, tech-forward agency like UM, we expect to see some exciting ideas and some different strategies."

Universal McCann will handle media planning and buying for Quicken Loans and Rocket Mortgage, working with Quicken Loans' 240-employee in-house marketing team, he said. Specifics on Universal McCann's media plan are still being shaped.

There are no plans for staff reduction or hiring at the lender as part of the new deal, Hurbis said.

Last year, the Quicken Loans brand spent $328.9 million on measured media in the U.S., according to Kantar Media.

The 850,420-square-foot, 98 percent occupied First National Building is also home to tenants including Central Kitchen & Bar, Roasting Plant and Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn LLP. United Way for Southeastern Michigan, another tenant, announced in August it plans to leave for the Fisher Building in Detroit's New Center next year.

Bedrock and related companies have purchased more than 100 properties in Detroit and Cleveland, totaling around 18 million square feet. Bedrock is landlord to 330 office tenants and retailers in Detroit's downtown core, according to the release.

Microsoft officially moved into its new 50,000-square-foot office in May in the Bedrock-owned One Campus Martius and LinkedIn plans to move into the Sanders building on Woodward Avenue.

—AdAge contributed to this report.