Ameriquest, which is headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., leased the space for its wholly owned warehouse mortgage-lending subsidiary Argent Mortgage, which is currently leasing space at 8 Skyline in Hawthorne.

Argent, which is headquartered in Orange. Calif., plans to begin moving about 450 employees into its new White Plains offices this summer. Its new offices at 333 Westchester Ave., will feature a state-of-the-art loan processing training campus, according to Cohen, a principal of Cohen Brothers Realty Corp. of New York City.

Officials with Argent Mortgage did not attend the press briefing and were unavailable for comment press time.

Colliers ABR Vice Chairman Stephen J. Riker, Managing Director Michael Norris and Associate Michelle DeBerry represented the building owner in the long-term lease transaction. Gerry Lees of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. represented Ameriquest Mortgage.

Ameriquest had been in the market looking for space for almost a year and had considered other office properties before selecting the 333 Westchester Ave. property. Cohen says that one critical factor in the deal was completing the construction of new lobbies, entranceways and common areas to the 168,000-sf North building. Argent Mortgage will occupy approximately 70% of the North building and also has expansion options. The 333 Westchester Ave. property, which formerly housed operations of Kraft General Foods, totals approximately 600,000 sf of space. With the Argent transaction, the facility is approximately 50% leased, Colliers ABR officials say.

In a prepared release, Adam J. Bass, senior executive vice president of Argent Mortgage, stated, "We selected White Plains because of its positive business environment. This new location will provide us with access to the highly educated workforce we need to help us grow."

White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino noted that he began his business career at the Kraft General Foods property in the 1950s and was pleased that the complex is beginning to lease up.

Cohen revealed that he has lease deals of 22,000-sf and 10,000-sf in negotiation and is also one of six properties in the running for a 55,000-sf lease requirement. He would not reveal the identity of the firms that are considering his complex. In January, Cohen reported approximately 45,000 sf in new lease deals at the property.

Colliers ABR officials said that Argent currently employs approximately 100 workers at its Hawthorne offices and will be looking to hire more than 300 new workers. Argent is holding a recruiting event at the Westchester Marriott Hotel in Tarrytown this evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to information posted on its web site.

Existing tenants at 333 Westchester Ave. include: Allied Irish Banks; Moviefone, an America Online media company; Macsteel Asoma, a steel trading company; Endurance Specialty Holdings, a Bermuda-based reinsurance company; Fredman & Rosan, a law firm; Rosenfeld & Tortu, a benefits consulting firm; Merit Direct, a marketing company and Stone, Russo & Lassaro, a CPA firm.