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"You close fast because the longer somebody has to sit and think about it, the longer they have to think about the numbers," said Dave Johnson, a former branch manager in suburban Detroit. "You don't want somebody to get buyer's remorse before they close."

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Hudson is a journalist based in Roanoke, Va., and Reckard is a Times staff writer. Times research librarian John L. Jackson, news assistants Chris Tinkham and Todd Leibensperger and staff writer Dan Morain contributed to this report.

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Ameriquest Capital Corp.

Founded: 1979 as Long Beach Savings & Loan

Headquarters: Orange

Branch offices: 298 in 38 states

Employees: More than 12,000

Subsidiaries: Ameriquest Mortgage Co., Argent Mortgage Co., Ameriquest Mortgage Securities, Long Beach Acceptance Corp., Town & Country Credit

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Sources: Ameriquest Capital Corp., Hoover's