WATERLOO - After a six-month hiring wave, GMAC Mortgage's Waterloo operation is nearly full, a company spokesperson said.

The company has hired a net 160 people since January, said Jeannine Bruin, executive director of mortgage communications with GMAC.

Approximately 960 people now work at the Waterloo facility, including 800 employees and about 160 workers contracted through other agencies for services like security guards and information technology support.

"We expect to stay between 950 and 1,000 at our Waterloo site," said Bruin, based in Fort Washington, Pa. "Logistically, we can't fit more than that due to space constraints," she said. "We've filled our Waterloo facility to near capacity; we are still hiring; and we are committed to maintaining an ongoing presence there."

It is believed to be the highest GMAC Mortgage employment level in Waterloo in four years.

GMAC Mortgage is successor to Banco Mortgage and Norwest Mortgage, which collectively have operated a mortgage servicing center at 3451 Hammond Ave. since 1985.

While hiring continues, GMAC Mortgage's Waterloo operations have undergone an administrative reorganization.

Longtime local GMAC senior vice president Ken Perkins has left the company after his position was eliminated in a reorganization of the company's fee-based servicing group, company officials said. Perkins said he took early retirement.

That move coincides with the hiring of Jeff Lemieux as the new head of the company's fee-based servicing department. Lemieux will be based out of the company's Carlsbad, Calif., office.

"Ken was a longtime employee and senior member of our Waterloo team whose contributions were very valued," said Bruin. Perkins was with GMAC Mortgage 22 years and local site manager for seven years.

Chuck Hoecker, vice president in charge of customer care operations, is now the senior executive at GMAC's Waterloo operation.

"We do not anticipate any wholesale changes in staffing in our Waterloo office," Bruin said. "Most of our Waterloo mortgage operations are focused on customer care, loss mitigation and loan administration. Activity remains high in all of these areas.

"We are still looking to add between 10 to 15 people per month through November," she said.

Interested individuals can go to gmacmortgage.com for a listing of and to submit resumes for open positions. The same jobs also are listed on gmacfs.com.