Riding the crest of a wave.

As chairman of Homebridge Mortgage Bankers, Nicholas Bratsafolis is prepared for a business explosion. That's because in the next six months he's hoping to open for business in 15 states.

The firm was just licensed in Illinois and is waiting any day for a response from California. Within three months, they hope to gain licenses in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.

They hope to follow in states such as Nevada, Arizona, Tezas and Rhode Island within the next six months.

And although they can't open regional offices everywhere yet, Bratsafolis explained how the Internet has become a godsend for Homebridge.

"You need a presence in every locale if you're going to be effective," he said. "It is now possible to become local without having an office in a location. We now can bring in borrowers through their computer without doing the paperwork."

However, Bratsafolis acknowledged a personal presence certainly helps.

"Our goal is to eventually regionalize--have a Chicago office for the Midwest, a Los Angeles/San Francisco office for California, a Boston office for New England," he added.

A firm founded over 10 years ago, Homebridge also is intensifying its focus on the Manhattan market.

The company, though headquartered in Syosset, N.Y., maintains recently opened offices at 444 Madison Ave. as well.

Bratsafolis couples his chairmanship with a law practice where he serves as U.S. counsel to Angelicoussis Shipholding Group Ltd., a major Greek shipping firm, in connection with its financing and corporate affairs. He also provides legal counsel to affiliated real estate companies, serves as general counsel for Hometrust Mortgage Bankers, where he also is a director and shareholder, and serves as bank counsel for closing firm mortgages.

A magna cum laude graduate of Montclair State University, Bratsafolis taught high school in Oakland, N.J. before heading to Seton Hall University Law School, where he received his J.D. in 1981. He also participated in a United States Attorney's Clinic in Newark, N.J., while attending law school.

In the fall of 1981, Bratsafolis began work at Poles, Tublin, Patestides and Stratakis, a New York firm. The firm, which dealt primarily with maritime law, represented a large number of Greek shipowners, "who were fairly well versed in diversification," he explained.

Bratsafolis quickly became the designated real estate lawyer. "To be the person in the firm who would deal with the real estate matters--it's fairly unusual to have a real estate attorney at a maritime law firm," he said.

After a brief stint at another law firm from 1985 to 1986, Bratsafolis began work as president of the American Realty Holdings Corporation, parent company of the Maritime Realty Corporation, where he also served as general counsel. There, he was involved in all aspects of owning and managing 1 million s/f of office buildings and the legal issues therein.

In 1996, Bratsafolis began his own law practice. This work was soon coupled by his appointment as chairman of Homebridge.

In addition, Bratsafolis also serves as co-manager of various real estate partnerships representing the Sokol family, whose partnerships own real estate in New York and Puerto Rico.

Bratsafolis lives in Manhattan. He is married with three children.