6 p.m., Bucharest, Romania Iulian Patrascanu leaves his office, eager to spend a relaxing evening in his new home. The 31-year-old legal consultant longed for his own apartment and applied for a loan from the Romanian American Enterprise Fund. Three days later his loan request was approved, allowing him to fulfill his dream of home ownership. Iulian was attracted to this loan program in part because it does not require two additional personal guarantors (a common requirement in Romania), is designed for middle-class borrowers, and promises a quick, transparent loan process, something that local banks don't always offer. Iulian's loan marked the millionth dollar in loans made by the mortgage lending program, less than six months after it started; with an average loan size of $12,000, this represents about 80 loans. The program has since transformed into a full-fledged financial institution dedicated solely to residential mortgage lending - the first of its kind in Romania. ShoreBank Advisory Services - through a consulting contract with the Romanian American Enterprise Fund - helped create and manage this new institution that is focused on increasing the availability of residential mortgage loans in Romania. As a result, other international financial institutions and private companies are now investing capital in home mortgage lending, making home ownership a reality for more Romanians.