Frank Bennett, vice president of Griffin Financial Services, said this is the four time Mrs. Compton has been named the organization's Loan Officer of the Year.

Mrs. Compton, who has been with the organization for eight years, has worked in mortgage banking for more than 20 years, including three years as a manager and 12 as a senior underwriter. She is now manager of Griffin Financial's McDonough office, and she also works out of the company's Fayetteville location.

A former teaching liaison for National MBNA, she has expertise in all first mortgage products and a solid background in underwriting. She has resided in the Henry County area for 21 years.

Griffin Financial Services has its operations and underwriting departments, as well as a mortgage loan office, in Fayetteville. In addition to McDonough, there are branch offices in Newnan, Jackson, Barnesville, and Griffin, and a new branch offices is opening in Peachtree City.

Griffin Financial Services was formerly the mortgage division of Griffin Federal Savings Bank, but late in 1997, the division's assets were acquired by Group Financial Southeast (GFSE), the parent company of Fairfield Financial and Phoenix Financial. The company, which now operates as a division of GFSE, specializes in permanent mortgage loan financing, including FHA, VA, RHCDS and conventional loans, and first time home buyer programs. Griffin Financial Services is also highly aggressive in the construction lending area.