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Mortgage company expands Leader purchases Fabian, Wegs & Hall Leader Mortgage Loan Corporation has bought out Fabian, Wegs & Hall, the companies announced Monday. The sale, which closed Thursday, gives Leader Mortgage five branch offices including two in Medford. The other offices are in Grants Pass, Roseburg and Klamath Falls. Terms were not disclosed. Jim Riley, who founded Leader Mortgage in 1995, said the deal will give his company a greater presence in Medford. With the deal, Leader Mortgage will have eight brokers in Medford. Leader Mortgage has taken over the Fabian, Wegs & Hall office at 201 W. Main St. The second location will help Leader expand its emphasis on residential mortgages, especially FHA and first-time homebuyer programs, Riley said. He also expects his company to benefit from Fabian, Wegs & Hall's commercial mortgage experience, which complements Leader Mortgage's residential emphasis. George Hall, who bought Fabian & Wegs (and added his name) last year, said he never got comfortable with owning and running his own business so he decided to sell. "I just couldn't seem to settle into it," said Hall. Before buying the mortgage company, Hall worked for Klamath First Federal Bank, opening the first Medford branch in 1990. He is returning to banking and has accepted a position with Valley of the Rogue Bank to become a vice president and manager of the bank's Phoenix branch. Fabian, Wegs & Hall's other five employees -- including founders and former owners Skip Fabian and Jim Wegs -- will go to work for Leader Mortgage. Fabian and Wegs founded the company in 1995 and sold it to Debbie Sims two years later. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA