Print edition: 
J.P. Weigand & Sons and Fidelity Bank have agreed to a deal that will place mortgage bankers in three of the Wichita real estate giant's residential brokerages.
Mortgage loan offices will be located in Weigand brokerages at 6530 E. 13th St., 2872 N. Ridge Road and 10811 E. Harry within the next month, officials said.
The two firms are considering part-time lending hours in other Weigand brokerages, but plans aren't finalized.
Fidelity replaces Mortgage Centre, which had been Weigand's in-house lender since 2003. Mortgage Centre was purchased by Equity Bank in 2006.
Weigand also has Security 1st Title officers in-house.
Fidelity's loan officers will be available on the Weigand sites to help consumers answer home financing questions and determine qualification.
That process will be blended with real estate agents, as they help consumers identify and write contracts on houses.
"They've been a long-standing excellent lender in the Wichita area for just shy of as long as we've been around," said Roger Weast, Weigand's president.
"We have high regard for them. Their customer service is excellent, and that's what they can provide for clients and agents as well."
Gary Walker, Weigand's residential general manager, said the partnership will be a valuable resource for the company's agents.
"Because of the rapidly changing lending environment, it's very beneficial for agents to have a loan officer in house to ask questions," Walker said.
Mark Sikes, Fidelity's executive vice president and chief credit officer, said the partnership of two century-old Wichita firms will be good for the bank's brand.
"It's an opportunity to partner with a firm that we have a tremendous amount of respect for," Sikes said. "Like us, they've been around this market north of 100 years.
"It's greater convenience for our customers in at least three additional locations and potentially more on a part-time basis."
Weigand has been serving the Wichita area for 108 years. It has more than 350 residential, commercial and industrial agents offering a spectrum of services to clients nationwide.
Fidelity Bank is the second-largest locally owned financial institution in Wichita. With more than 400 employees and 20 locations in the Wichita area, along with five in the Oklahoma City area, Fidelity has grown to nearly $1.7 billion in assets.
