SunTrust Mortgage announced that Nick Lay and Patrick Harris joined its Mortgage Loan Apprentice program in early April.
 
The program selects candidates with an impressive sales track record, officials said, and involves a six-month mortgage training program between Wilmington and Richmond in the form of online and lecture-style courses.
 
Before his acceptance into the program, Lay was a top sales agent for Lagomarager Allstate Agency, where he received the Allstate Agency of the Year award. The 2011 Cape Fear Community College graduate also previously sold insurance for Homeinsurance.com.
 
Harris, a Wilmington native who graduated from University of North Carolina Wilmington with a degree in communication studies, worked as a district manager for a Fortune 500 company before he joined the program.