Truth Test: Kevin Stitt's Business Record

Monday, August 20th 2018, 7:37 am

By: Grant Hermes

Just over a week away from the primary run-off elections and the race on the Republican side is neck-and-neck.

You my have seen an ad from a group backing Mick Cornett about Kevin Stitt's business record as the CEO of lending company Gateway Mortgage.

The ad said, Stitt's company one of the worst loan default rates in the country, double the national average. Stitt's company faced big fines in Arkansas, had its licensed revoked for fraud in Illinois. Worse, was banned from doing business in Georgia."

How true are these claims? Pretty true. But there is some spin here.

So when it comes to Stitt's company being one of the worst. That's true. The claim comes from a list of the worst lenders using Federal Housing Administration loans in 2010. Gateway Mortgage made the list and had a default rate close to 10 percent. The national average at the time was 5 percent but for the ad to not give the time frame is some political spin.

How about that list of states? According to each state's finance or banking agencies this is true too. Stitt's company did face fines in Arkansas and its license was revoked Illinois after claims of fraud. In fact he was fined or punished in 8 states including Georgia which did ban his company for life.

As of this year that ban was lifted and it cleared Gateway Mortgage to reapply for a license.

But overall this ad checks out so we're going to give it a rating of "True."

Stitt maintains his company's trouble in those states were only small errors in paperwork and they happened ten years ago so just before the 2008 financial crash.

Tomorrow's "Truth Test" will look at a new attack ad on Mick Cornett's record on immigration and President Trump.

Send us a truth you think needs testing to truthtest@griffin.news or send them to us on the News9 Facebook page.