Melville, NY The Advantage Group, an industry leader in title insurance and related real estate services, has appointed Karen Rizzo as a senior loan consultant at its mortgage financing subsidiary, Mortgage Advantage. “Karen joining Advantage marks our continued growth in the mortgage marketplace. Her extensive knowledge, with over 30 years in the real estate and lending industries, will help more clients secure the best available financing options for all types of real estate transactions,” said Joseph Willen, president and CEO, The Advantage Group. Before joining Mortgage Advantage, Rizzo owned Township Property Finance & Consulting Corp., a residential mortgage brokerage in Melville, which she founded in 1991. Rizzo is a licensed real estate agent since 1979, a registered mortgage broker since 1987 and a certified mortgage planning specialist since 1999. She is an expert in both residential and commercial financing including divorce settlements, reverse mortgages and investor portfolios. Rizzo earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Hofstra University and prior to that an associate’s degree in International Marketing & Design from Nassau Community College. She also earned industry-related certificates from New York Institute of Technology, C.W. Post, Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design, Metropolitan College of TriBeCa and the Real Estate Training Center, where she taught the Real Estate License and Loan Originator courses. From the Long Island Board of Realtors she earned a Short Sale Professional certification, and from the CMPS Institute, the designation of Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist. Active with Long Island’s Network Exchange (LINX) and Association of Divorce Financial Planners.