Recruiters from West Capital Lending, NEXA Mortgage, and Edge Home Finance represent the new vanguard of mortgage recruitment — each with their own style, but all with the same mission: re-establish mortgage brokers as the dominant players of the mortgage industry.
The ballroom lights dimmed as trays of blistering hot wings were carried to the stage. Spotlights bounced across the crowd at Originator Connect in Las Vegas, where hundreds of mortgage professionals had gathered not just for spectacle, but for a cause.
Welcome to Broker Brawl: Hot Loans Edition — part roast, part competition, part charity drive — where CEOs and founders of some of the largest brokerages in the nation sat shoulder-to-shoulder, wings in hand, ready to take the heat.
With the crowd roaring and the hot sauces flowing, NEXA Mortgage Co-Founder and CEO Mike Kortas, Loan Factory Founder and CEO Thuan Nguyen, West Capital Lending Co-founder and CEO Daniel Iskander, and Equity Smart Home Loans Co-founder and CEO Pablo Martinez fielded the toughest questions in the business.
Guiding the spectacle were two ringmasters of spice and satire: Brandon Christensen, national instructor for Max Class, and Ladonna Lockard, CEO of Max Class and host of the NMP podcast Take It To The Max.
But beneath the banter was a bigger mission: raising more than $50,000 for Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans. Since their inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents out of every dollar donated goes directly to program services supporting Veterans.
With the mission set, the hot sauces were uncapped, the spotlights were lit — and the questions began.
Equity Smart Home Loans has doubled its ranks, growing from 250 to 500 loan officers since CEO Pablo Martinez last took the Originator Connect stage. Now, Martinez returns to the spotlight after making headlines with his high-profile switch from United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) to Rocket Pro to battle the heavyweight champions of the wholesale channel.
When the questions landed about his controversial move, Martinez didn’t shy away.
“And we don’t have to jump through hurdles and watch videos and do all this (…) to get points that can’t even get us better pricing. So, you know, we’re done with all that. We’re not anyone’s puppets.”
His comments about watching a lender’s videos to earn points may have struck a chord with originators in the audience who currently partner with UWM.
“We’re not drama,” Martinez said. “We’re down to earth, humble. Our platform is not about me. It’s about you guys. It’s about the loan officers.”
Pablo Martinez, CEO Equity Smart Home Loans
“You cannot have a clean breakup,” said Pablo Martinez while recounting the challenges he encountered after terminating his partnership with UWM.
The crowd got the show. But the fireworks didn’t stop there. The following day, on a podcast stage wedged between rows of packed exhibitor booths, Martinez revealed that his breakup with UWM was less than amicable.
Before sending in his termination letter and running off into the sunset with Rocket Pro, Martinez knew he needed to close out all of Equity Smart’s loans with UWM — or risk a lawsuit under UWM’s All-In Addendum (ultimatum), a standard clause in UWM’s broker contracts.
UWM issued an ultimatum to its broker partners in 2021, forbidding them from doing business with Rocket Mortgage and Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. Not signing the ultimatum would mean severing ties with UWM. Brokers who sign and then violate the ultimatum face costly damages — $5,000 per loan closed with Rocket or Fairway or $50,000 in liquidated damages. Even worse, some alleged violators of the ultimatum have been sued.
Despite his efforts, Martinez alleges that UWM withheld $250,000 of commissions from more than fifteen of his loan officers.
“On the remaining loans that we had [that] we were closing out, they had rewritten the lender instructions to redirect their commissions back to them instead of us. So that put us out about $250,000 that they kept, which we still have not been invoiced,” he claimed. “We still have no idea why they kept the money.”
According to Martinez, the dispute didn’t end there. He claimed that a UWM attempted to poach his loan officers by leveraging their commissions.
Martinez claims that UWM attempted to poach his loan officers by telling them “[If] you want your commission then you’ve got to find a UWM shop to work with.” But later that night, he decided to resolve the issue by telling the two loan officers “We’re going to let [UWM] steal the money or take the money away. But we’re still going to pay you.”
Martinez went further, alleging that UWM shared Equity Smart’s loan officer list with competitors.
“As soon as we gave them notice…They distributed our LO list amongst other shops and then those shops started poaching our customers — C2 Financial being one of them,” he claimed.
For Martinez, the turbulence is already fading in the rearview. His focus, he insists, is on growth.
“When we made the decision, we had 420 loan officers. We now have 460. so doing all those things, it’s just silly because we’re not going anywhere,” Martinez said. “We’re here for the long haul.”
The moderators then turned the spotlight to Loan Factory CEO Thuan Nguyen, raising the issue that has dogged him in headlines and lawsuits: his loan officer directory. The question was framed hypothetically — what if another broker created a directory of originators but secretly funneled the leads back to himself?
Nguyen’s answer was deliberate, even defensive, as he worked to explain what he insists is a misunderstood innovation.
“Consumers [are] struggling to find a good loan officer, and loan officers are struggling to find consumers. So my goal [is] to bring them together and all the leads go straight to the loan officer. The sad thing is, some evil force [is] out there trying to screw me up and trying to sue me.”
The line about an “evil force” drew laughter in some corners and applause in others. But Nguyen pressed on, emphasizing his intentions. He described a broker community that has grown increasingly divided — some eager to embrace technology and scale, others skeptical of platforms that centralize consumer traffic.
“This is the first time I have [had] a chance to speak up. So many bad people out there. They try to cross [me],” he added, hinting at industry rivals who, in his view, have weaponized misinformation to undermine his work.
For Nguyen, the stakes go beyond the courtroom. His reputation as one of the top-producing loan officers in the country — who once closed over 11,000 loans in just two years — is on the line. At Originator Connect, he framed the issue as not about lawsuits, but about loyalty to both loan officers and consumers.
Nguyen addressed the controversy over his loan officer directory with characteristic candor following Broker Brawl: Hot Loans Edition.
“If Pablo [Martinez] or anyone used my name on their website, I don’t think the consumer will see my name on there and apply with [Equity Smart Home Loans],” Nguyen said. “If the question is asking me for that permission, I love it. Please use my name.”
Nguyen acknowledged that part of his draw in the broker community is the perception of access. “Loan officers always look up to us and they want to understand more about us. Sometimes the way we talk to them is different [from] the way we talk to each other,” he admitted. “Our loan officers want to hear that too.”
That instinct for transparency partly drove Nguyen to publish a chart comparing loan officer compensation at the nation’s largest brokerages—a move that sparked backlash. “I think all other mega companies also offer similar [compensation], except NEXA,” Nguyen said. “NEXA is very complicated. They make it, sometimes they promote like crazy NEXA100, but most of [NEXA’s originators] don’t get that. And then if they don’t get it, they get charged a lot.”
Despite the backlash he received by NEXA leaders and some originators who responded to his Facebook post, Nguyen said he was never given an adequate explanation on how NEXA100 works: “They never elaborate because their compensation is too complicated. Nobody understands.”
The post did not go unnoticed. “One of the mega brokers got mad at me, said that’s not true, and demanded that I pull it down otherwise they’d sue me,” Nguyen said, declining to identify which company threatened legal action.
Still, he stood by the decision to make his research public. “I do my own research because in order to recruit, I need to talk to loan officers from each company. That’s how I learn,” he explained.
Having competitive LO compensation is highly important when it comes to recruiting loan officers, but according to the data from Modex, that doesn’t seem to be an issue for his company. Since the last Broker Brawl in August 2024, Loan Factory has grown rapidly from about 700 to 2,035 loan officers with plans to reach 3,000 loan officers by 2026. However, Nguyen’s goals concerning overall production volume aren’t as concrete.
“Why would we hire so many loan officers who are not producing? … They will see,” said Loan Factory CEO Thuan Nguyen. “If I can push, I can generate leads, I can give [our LOs] clients.
Thuan Nguyen, CEO Loan Factory
No Broker Brawl would be complete without NEXA Mortgage Mike Kortas, drawing the heat. Two questions aimed squarely at him forced the crowd to see past his bravado and into the personal cost of leading the industry’s largest brokerage.
The first was about his former partner, Mat Grella, with whom he co-founded Nexa. Kortas didn’t hesitate:
“He worked his [butt] off as a loan officer and those benefits stop benefiting Nexa within a year because we focus on growth. Jason has done a (…) 15 times better job in that same role in just a few days.”
It was a pointed remark, underscoring how quickly NEXA moves on from even its co-founders when growth demands it.
The second question cut deeper: whether Kortas really put his “NEXA family” ahead of his own family. Kortas answered with controlled emphasis:“NEXA family never came first the way you said. You do this because you have reasons why you do this stuff, right? … If you want to be the best at what you do, you only get to pick one of them.
“I am the greatest mortgage broker of all time. The numbers are undisputed,” NEXA Mortgage CEO Mike Kortas asserted. “But I had to give up everything else to do it.
Mike Kortas, CEO Nexa Mortgage
It was a strikingly raw admission in a night otherwise filled with tough bravado. Kortas’s success, he admitted, came with sacrifices in health, faith, and family. It was a rare glimpse into the cost of being the most visible — and sometimes the loudest — figure in the broker channel.
NEXA CEO Mike Kortas struck a personal note at Broker Brawl: Hot Loans Edition, describing a ritual he’s adopted at conferences to honor the often-overlooked sacrifices of loan officers’ spouses.
“I find two married men [and tell them to] send [their wives] flowers. And there’s a cheat code to sending your wife flowers — DoorDash. You can just type in flowers and you can have flowers at the door in 45 minutes with a message,” he said. “And I wish I would have used it more often.”
Kortas tied the gesture to a broader truth about the mortgage business. “We all have a reason why we do what we do. That reason is, oftentimes, family. And that’s great. But that means we don’t get to focus on family,” he explained. “They’re sacrificing other things in order to play at a high level… that comes with the sacrifice of health, faith, friends.”
The idea caught on beyond NEXA. “Equity Prime’s Tag Event [sent] roughly 670 sets of flowers. So, and that’s to me, 60 to 70 spouses at home that got some appreciation,” Kortas said.
But the conversation didn’t stay sentimental for long. Kortas pivoted to competitive jabs at fellow industry leaders, including West Capital Lending’s Daniel Iskander and his consumer-direct strategy.
“He will do a better job in a lower interest rate environment with how his business works. Although I make the argument not anymore because AI is going to completely replace and Danny will completely replace his owners.”
Kortas argued that consumer-direct loan officers face an existential threat. “The problem is that in a consumer direct environment, you’re gonna wipe out 90% of them,” he claimed. “I’ve seen this work. It’s actually there, it’s just slightly cost prohibitive still. So it’s there and it’s available. It wipes out consumer direct loan officers.”
In fact, Kortas pushed back against the very framing of brokers versus lenders. “When I say brokers are better, that’s no longer a favorable term that should be used in my opinion. So I’m a lender. I fund more than 50% of my loans in my name. And so I look at myself as a lender with whole show rates.”
Daniel Iskander, CEO West Capital Lending
But the night belonged to Daniel Iskander, CEO of West Capital Lending (West Cap). A year earlier, he had been overshadowed and brushed aside in the final round by his contender, Kortas.
This year, he took the stage with an enthusiastic mob of West Cap loan officers cheering him on from the audience. When asked what he would do differently if he had to rebuild from scratch, Iskander was blunt:
“We’re a big lead buyer and one of the things we started doing was as we got bigger and stronger as a company, we started co-investing. We pay for our lead budget is about $3.5 million a month, and West Cap subsidizes 50% of the marketing budget,” Iskander said. “So I wish we had the budget earlier on to be able to help out loan officers more by buying leads, investing them more the way that we are today.”
When asked why he lost in 2024, he didn’t hold back: “I don’t think I lost. I think Mike [Kortas] had the ability to be able to go out to 3,000 loan officers and send out the code and [the] voting system was rigged.”
The West Cap side of the ballroom erupted. Cheers rolled like a wave, punctuated with stomps and whistles, the kind of noise that drowns out the moderators.
But the knockout moment came in his closing pitch, after Kortas touted NEXA’s LO compensation model and self-generating loan officers, Iskander fired back with a voice that carried over the crowd:
“I like to try to stay humble, but I want to share and I want to brag a little bit about the baddest team of loan officers that we’ve assembled across the entire nation,” Iskander said. “There’s no better loan officer team in the entire nation — We funded over 20,000 loans.”
It was more than a defense of his company. It was a declaration that West Cap — with its data-driven, lead-heavy model — had arrived as a force to be reckoned with.
“Mike likes to brag about having 3,000 loan officers — We’re the number one in funded units,” Iskander asserted. “The amount of money that we have reinvested into [our LOs’] marketing to be able to actually get them to win. Look at the data. We’re 3x-ing your average funding per LO.”
The West Cap section of the ballroom exploded in cheers, drowning out even the moderators. West Cap loan officers shot to their feet, fists in the air, with some even chanting “USA! USA!”
But the final tally would decide not only the night’s champion, but also the total raised for Homes For Our Troops. When the clock hit zero and every vote and donation was counted, NEXA CEO Mike Kortas emerged as the official winner of Broker Brawl: Hot Loans Edition, with $23,809 raised by his supporters — enough to claim his second heavyweight belt.
Iskander, however, walked away with a different kind of victory: he captured the most votes in the room, 94 in total, making him the crowd favorite even as Kortas held onto the title through fundraising power.
The morning after, emotions still simmered. In separate interviews, both Nguyen and Martinez agreed that Iskander had been the rightful winner.
Nguyen said: “I feel that West Cap should be the winner. They invest in their company, in their loan officers, and they help their loan officers. That’s why their company goes faster.”
Martinez echoed him: “Danny won. I think he should have gotten the belt. I didn’t realize it was based on money, but he had his people there and he did a good job up there. I think that he should have gotten the prize.”
When the smoke cleared, however, the real winner wasn’t any one brokerage. It was U.S. Army Corporal Bryan Price and the mission of Homes For Our Troops.
Thanks to Homelight’s opening $10,000 check, hundreds of audience donations, and another last-minute $1,000 pledge from NEXA’s Mike Kortas, the industry surpassed its $50,000 fundraising goal. That money will go directly toward building Bryan Price a mortgage-free home — designed without stairs or barriers, with widened doorways, accessible bathrooms, and open spaces to restore his independence as a paralyzed veteran.
Brice Sullivan accepts the 10k donation from HomeLight Inc. on behalf of Bryan Price
For Price, it means more than a house. It means freedom: the ability to be the father he wants to be, to roll through his own front door without obstacles, and to live daily life with dignity and security.
For the mortgage brokers on stage, it proved that while they may never reach the vast wealth of some IMBs or banks, they managed to channel their competitive fire into something far greater: giving a wounded veteran the keys to a new life.
Beyond the theatrics, the Broker Brawl events offer a rare, unscripted look at mega broker CEOs and what it’s like to work inside their shops — where loyalty, resources, and leadership style matter just as much as pricing.
Mortgage Connections has closed more than 843 transactions and $239 million in funded loan volume over the last 14 months
West Capital Lending announced a strategic partnership with Mortgage Connections, a Michigan-based brokerage that has closed more than 843 transactions and $239 million in funded loan volume over the last 14 months.
Founded by industry veterans Ali Younes and Joe Dakroub, Mortgage Connections has built its reputation on long-term relationships with realtors and clients. The Dearborn branch serves as its cornerstone office, reflecting both Michigan’s automotive legacy and future brokerage growth. According to the announcement, the partnership is “about equipping our bankers with world-class tools and resources so they can deliver truly personalized mortgage solutions to clients across the country.”
The release emphasizes that the firm aims to preserve its identity as it expands beyond Michigan, invoking Dearborn’s heritage and concluding: “By uniting Dearborn’s exceptional talent with West Capital’s proven systems, we’ll not only grow a company but cultivate a culture of leadership, service, and opportunity that honors this city’s legacy and benefits families for generations.”
In the last seven months, Mortgage Connections closed 421 transactions totaling nearly $122 million, with the release also citing more than $88 million in purchase transactions, $137 million in refinances, and $11 million in HELOC volume.
The partnership aligns with West Capital’s national expansion strategy. West Capital recently surpassed 1,000 loan officers nationwide, positioning it among the largest mortgage brokerages. The addition of Mortgage Connections deepens its Midwest footprint and complements a product suite that includes conventional, VA, USDA, non-QM, construction, and commercial loans.
“Mortgage Connections represents exactly the kind of partner we want at West Capital,” said Matthew Blackmer, Vice President of Business Development at West Capital Lending. “They are entrepreneurial, community-driven, and fiercely committed to client service. Together, we are strengthening our foundation in Michigan while accelerating our growth across the country. This partnership not only adds scale but reinforces our shared culture of innovation and leadership.”
West Capital Lending is recognized as the number one broker partner of Rocket Mortgage and among the top-three brokerage nationally by funded volume. With Mortgage Connections, the company says it continues on a record-setting growth trajectory while reinforcing its commitment to independence, excellence, and long-term opportunity for loan officers and clients.
Orange County’s much-troubled mortgage industry may be on an upswing, according to two recent signals.
Mortgage loan provider West Capital Lending Inc. has signed a new office lease for 44,241 square feet at 17911 Von Karman Ave. in Irvine, almost four times larger than what it occupied at its last known address, which is 11,613 square feet at 24 Executive Park in Irvine.
A second signal is that shares of Irvine-based loanDepot Inc. have doubled in the past two months to $4.17 each and a $1.4 billion market cap in hopes that the Federal Reserve will be lowering its benchmark rates, which it did on Sept. 17 by 25 basis points.
Analysts are predicting sales at loanDepot, one of the nation’s largest mortgage originators, will rise 10% this year to $1.2 billion and then accelerate another 21% to $1.4 billion in 2026 (NYSE: LDI).
“Our company is special, comprised of a unique set of assets as we turn our focus to once again be the industry leader in innovative technology tools powered by the emergence of AI driven operating efficiency, we will return to competing at the highest levels,” Chief Executive and Chairman Anthony Hsieh told analysts during its August earnings call.
Orange County has long been home to some of the nation’s largest mortgage firms, including New American Funding of Tustin and Kind Lending of Santa Ana.
Orange County was heavily impacted when the Federal Reserve began raising rates in 2022, as sales in the mortgage industry plummeted and thousands of layoffs were announced.
West Capital Lending, founded in 2016, offers conventional, FHA, VA, interest-only, reverse mortgage and SBA loans as well as home equity lines of credit.
Co-founder Eric Hines began his career as a mortgage loan originator in a call center and eventually transitioned to the independent channel as a mortgage broker. He has previously worked as a mortgage loan officer at Nationstar Mortgage and New American Funding.
The company’s website said Hines’ goal is “to become the #1 mortgage brokerage in the U.S.”
Co-founder Daniel Iskander has worked as an executive mortgage banker at Quicken Loans, a sales manager at Greenlight Loans, a vice president of sales at loanDepot and as a vice president at E Mortgage Capital Inc.
To date, the company has funded $2.7 billion and says it has a “track record of being Rocket Mortgage’s #1 broker partner for more than 32 months.” Rocket Mortgage is the nation’s second largest mortgage originator.
West Lending Capital, according to CoStar data, was subletting its space at 24 Executive Park, Irvine. The financial services company has occupied the sublet space since December 2023, with 77 employees on-site, per CoStar.
It’s not clear whether West Capital Lending is vacating its space at 24 Executive Park or expanding with a new location on the five-floor 17911 Von Karman. Neither West Capital Lending nor Colliers, the brokerage that arranged the lease deal at 17911 Von Karman, responded to requests for comment.
The fifth-floor space at 17911 Von Karman has not yet been occupied by West Capital Lending, although tenant improvements are completed and office furniture has been placed, based upon a Business Journal visit at the premises.
The building is part of the Irvine Concourse office complex that runs along Main Street, a mile from the John Wayne Airport.
The 104,375-square-foot office building is owned by Toronto-based Manulife Financial Corp.
The Canadian financial services company bought 17911 Von Karman Ave. from Blackstone Inc. for $34 million, or about $326 per square feet, in 2016.
Tenants currently occupying space at 17911 Von Karman Ave. are architectural firm KTGY and German manufacturing company Bosch Themaer Gasserdy.
The building, designed by Langdon Wilson International, was built in 1984 and renovated in 2014. Colliers handles the building’s leasing and Avison Young is the property manager.
Hsieh, who had previously started and successfully sold two mortgage companies, founded loanDepot in 2010. The company rode the interest rate drop in 2020 when sales more than tripled to $4.1 billion and the company went public, reaching almost $40 a share.
Hsieh stepped aside in 2022 just as the market was imploding because of rising interest rates. Successor Frank Martell had to lay off 7,500 employees– or two thirds of his workforce as revenue plummeted by about 75% to under $750 million.
Martell resigned earlier this year and after a CEO search, Hsieh announced in July his return as the CEO.
Hsieh said he’s ready to roll up his sleeves to do the hard work amid a very protracted and challenging market cycle.
“I am feeling good getting back to the industry that I love,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
In one of his first acts, Hsieh convinced two seasoned employees who had left loanDepot to return: Dom Marchetti built loanDepot’s technology platform called Mello when he worked at the company as chief technology officer from 2015-19; and Sean DeJulia as chief innovation officer. Both men have previously founded their own mortgage-related businesses.
“Dom is an exceptional partner—someone I trust deeply, who has a proven track record of delivering next-generation capabilities, and with whom I am completely aligned in how we think about the business,” Hsieh said.
“There are very few people who match the type of ‘mortgage IQ’ Sean has, namely deep competitive knowledge and big picture thinking combined with top tier coding talent and first-hand experience as an originator.”
The Mortgage Bankers Association last November forecast better times this year, predicting mortgage market volumes would rise 24% this year to $2.1 trillion. It’s still far below 2020 when the volume was $4.1 trillion and 2021 when it reached $4.5 trillion.
Office leasing activity showed signs of life in the second quarter of 2025, according to a Savills US report that was published in July. Many lease signings last quarter exceeded 30,000 square feet, the report continued.
Savills reported 18 million square feet of leasing activity across Orange County last quarter, a 42% increase over the previous three-month period and a 19% jump, year over year.
“As return-to-office momentum builds, occupiers are becoming more confident in their future business plans and are moving beyond last year’s wait-and-see stance,” the Savills report said.
An Avison Young report also said the Orange County office market is showing signs of recovery.
“Tenants continue to favor amenity-rich spaces as companies focus on bringing employees back. Fewer givebacks and a slowdown in new listings have stabilized availabilities, signaling growing confidence in the office sector and supporting steady recovery,” according to Avison Young’s OC office market report.
Jeff Ingham, a senior managing director at JLL’s Orange County office, agreed, telling the Business Journal that “We’re definitely seeing big activity. There’s been a big push for return-to-office.”
He added that about 70% of Fortune 100 companies now require their employees to work in the office at least three days per week, signaling a shift away from remote work schedules. Some of those companies include Amazon and Google’s parent Alphabet.
Ingham said stricter return-to-office mandates mean companies are seeking to lease more space, including firms looking to expand their footprint after giving up space during the first and second years of the pandemic.
The JLL senior managing director added that if mortgage rates decline over the next few years, more homeowners may refinance especially those who bought homes at a rate of 6% or 7%. An increase in refinance applications signals more mortgage companies popping up in Orange County, he said.
Eleven of the nation’s 75 largest non-bank mortgage originators are based in Orange County, according to Scotsman Guide, a Bothell, Washington state-based mortgage industry publication. What follows are their headquarters and 2024 originations.
West Capital Lending, one of the nation’s fastest-growing mortgage brokerages, has appointed industry veteran Giorgio Bertuol as its new President of Sales, bringing him out of retirement to lead the company’s national sales team.
Bertuol explained his decision to retire earlier this year, saying “I hit all of my personal retirement goals March 2025. I felt it was the right time to retire, given my mom has stage 4 cancer and is bravely fighting to stay alive.” But, a few months later, he realized “I have so much to give,” he said. “I also came back with a different purpose and meaning as I want to help those that are less fortunate and give back to those that need it the most while helping grow this incredible company that has substantial momentum.”
In the past 12 months, West Capital has grown its overall workforce by about 50%, according to Modex, reaching a total of 1,124 sponsored loan officers, per NMLS Consumer Access. With roughly $3.22 billion in loans closed year-to-date, according to Modex, the company is poised to top last year’s $3.36 billion total.
Bertuol joins West Capital Lending with nearly three decades of experience in mortgage lending and a reputation for transforming sales teams into high-performing engines of growth. He most recently served as Executive Vice President of Direct Sales at loanDepot, where he played a pivotal role in scaling the company’s consumer-direct lending division into one of the largest in the country.
Before his decade-long tenure at loanDepot, Bertuol co-founded Direct Loan America, an early player in online lending, and served as its CFO. His blend of entrepreneurial grit and corporate leadership gives him a rare perspective on building scalable sales structures while keeping a customer-first focus.
“Welcoming Giorgio to West Capital Lending represents a major step forward for our company,” said Danny Iskander, Co-Founder of West Capital Lending. “His ability to design scalable sales structures, mentor leaders, and bring the best out of his teams will allow us to meet the demand of today’s market while continuing to deliver exceptional service to our clients and partners.”
Bertuol recalled how West Capital’s leadership drew him back into the business. “When Danny flew down to Brentwood, TN to just meet with me confidentially I knew he was serious and committed about growing his company to the next level. Having a hands-on owner that is deeply passionate, cares about his people, his family, and his company made me want to join forces with him as I know the best years at WCL are yet to come.”
In his new role, Bertuol will focus on optimizing the national sales organization, developing leaders across multiple regions, and driving channel performance. His leadership is expected to sharpen the company’s edge in the fiercely competitive mortgage marketplace.
“I’m honored to step into the role of President of Sales at West Capital Lending,” Bertuol said in a statement. “This is an incredible opportunity to lead a talented team that’s committed to delivering value, trust, and results for our customers. West Capital Lending has built a reputation for innovation and service, and I’m excited to help take that to the next level.”
Bertuol’s career has been defined by his direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales expertise. At loanDepot, he oversaw large call-center teams and helped design the systems and training that fueled the company’s explosive growth. Bringing that experience to West Capital Lending signals a push to further expand the company’s consumer-direct capabilities, with an eye toward innovation and borrower satisfaction.
“Bringing me into this role signals the company’s commitment to growth, performance, and a culture of winning,” Bertuol added. “My focus will be on strengthening relationships, developing new strategies, and building a sales organization that not only reaches its goals but consistently exceeds them.”
By combining competitive products, cutting-edge technology, and a culture of support, West Capital Lending is doubling down on its strategy of empowering mortgage professionals.
Bertuol also pointed to momentum in the wholesale channel as a catalyst for his return. “The broker business is growing and brokers are gaining more market share. [Co-Founders] Danny and Eric [Hines] have the winning model that is loan officer centric. Having Danny, Eric and myself all of whom were loan officers at one point, we know what loan officers need and want. West Cap offers everything a loan officer dreams about — competitive pricing, product offering, flexibility, independence, fast service, full support, training, strong marketing, brand — all while still having institutional and quality control in place to stay compliant.”
For Bertuol, the move reflects both unfinished business and a chance to shape the future of one of the industry’s rising stars. As he steps into the role, all eyes will be on how his leadership reshapes the national sales force and positions West Capital Lending for its next stage of growth.
Advertising has become monumentally easier with the invention of social media – no need to pay for an ad section in a newspaper, put up a billboard, or set up shops across town when posting on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok is free. And keeping customer acquisition costs low is the name of the game this year.
Data from recent studies via Market Splash show that marketing on social media can be especially lucrative. In fact, 78% of salespeople engaged in social selling outperform their peers who don’t use social media. Companies with sales teams using social selling have 51% higher revenue growth than non-users. Companies that use social selling generate 50% more leads, and 93% of salespeople using social selling report an increase in their sales.
With everyone’s eyes glued to their phones, why wouldn’t an originator be using social media to advertise their business or services? Many do, but according to an originator survey by Loan Officer Hub, only 31% of originators find marketing on social media to be successful. That answer varies depending on the originator’s level of experience, too.
Experienced originators have established a reputation with previous clients, so most of their marketing is word-of-mouth. Many originators with 5 years experience or less, however, are still building their reputations, and doing so through social media. That’s why 43% of newer originators find success with social media advertising compared to 26% of experienced originators with 20+ years in the industry.
Yet, in recent years, more mortgage companies and originators have begun to embrace the rise of social selling, seeing it as a way to connect with younger homebuyers. NFM Lending launched a one-of-a-kind influencer division due to the success of originator Scott Betley (@thatmortgageguy), who has 872K followers on TikTok, and is now vice president of the influencer division.
Some lenders or brokers may find they have a star in their midst and encourage their own staff to become an influencer, like what happened to Mandy Philips (@mortgagemandy) when she worked as an originator for Vista Real Estate, based in the Redding-Red Bluff Area. Since then, she has become branch manager for Omega Mortgage Group, expanding her reach nationally. Though Phillips initially didn’t have any experience or much comfortability in front of the camera, she continued posting consistently and eventually gained 123K followers on her main platform, TikTok.
But for any companies that don’t have that kind of talent on staff, they can partner with a separate company of influencers to make content, like Irvine-based What’s A Mortgage (WAM). That’s what brokerage West Capital Lending did in 2023, partnering with the 15 member team of LO influencers at WAM as an experimental way of generating leads. West Capital Lending CEO Daniel Iskander said he believes it’ll be a boon to growing leads since WAM’s previous partnership with loanDepot led to about $70 million in closed production in just one month.
“My plan was to be a mortgage educator, to inform consumers on what a mortgage is. That’s how we came up with a name,” said WAM co-founder Minh Nguyen. “When I started making content and putting the consumer first without thinking about getting something back, is when it started working.”
Still, the industry has only just begun to skim the surface of social selling.
“I don’t ever try to sell them on anything. I just offer help and value, and I’ve been able to turn that into business consistently.
> Mandy Phillips, Omega Mortgage Group, Branch Manager
In most cases, people don’t become originators to become social media influencers. The thought of talking excitedly to an audience of potentially thousands of people can feel uncomfortable.
But, no one is a natural-born star, and as Nguyen says, it’s okay to be bad at it when first getting started. Just keep posting consistently!
“I didn’t have a good editor, so our clips weren’t amazing. Transitions were horrible. The lighting was bad, everything was horrible,” Nguyen said. “But I posted twice a day and I went live twice a week. It was crappy going live because I only had five people watching me, my mom, my dad, my brother, my business partner, and my business partner’s parents.”
Watch it on The Interest: Mortgage Media Stardom
It took Nguyen a while to build up an audience, going from five viewers in June 2017 to 100 or 200 per video in February 2018. All it took was one video going viral – his V-O-E video, where he sings, “Gimme a V, I got your V, I got your V! Gimme an O, I got your O, I got your O!” with a cheerleader-type dance to teach viewers about verification of employment.
It initially got 2,000 views, and after liquidating his house in March to pay off his debts, Nguyen used some of the remaining money to run the video as a YouTube ad in May. He was able to fund nine loans off the proceeds. The rest is history, he said, and he kept building his business from there.
Phillips also often made herself cringe before she developed her showmanship. Although she doesn’t recommend posting a bad video for the sake of creating content, she does advise beginners to go easy on themselves in the beginning.
“Your first 10 or 15 videos are going to be awkward and a little bit painful to go back and rewatch,” Phillips said. “But, the more you do, the easier it gets. And you just got to start doing it, and you just got to be consistent. The biggest thing is consistency.”
As his last piece of advice, Nguyen says all newbie content creators should remain patient. Generally, leads don’t flood in overnight. “But when you do get a deal,” he said, “I’m sure it’s gonna be a whale of a deal.”
Nguyen, Orange County-based originator and co-founder of WAM, said he started expanding his presence on social media to minimize his dependence on real estate agents and go direct to consumers. Or, in his case, going directly to his consumer’s “For You” page.
“I can get to the consumer quicker than waiting for the Realtor to do it,” Nguyen said. “We went to US Bank, loanDepot, and after that we went to sell leads to other mortgage companies for a season. And, of course, as the market shifted, we became a mortgage broker in August of last year.”
Phillips was initially surprised she found success through TikTok, since she never considered herself a natural in front of the camera.
“Probably about half of my business now actually is just from social media,” Phillips said. “Because of my success with TikTok, I decided to get licensed in multiple states… in addition to California, now I have a license in Texas, Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina, because I noticed that I was getting a good amount of leads from those states as well.”
People from these states would reach out to her through the comment section, direct messages, or through her email which is shown on her account page.
“I don’t ever try to sell them on anything. I just offer help and value, and I’ve been able to turn that into business consistently,” Phillips said.
WAM was not Nguyen’s first attempt at starting his own company, though. In 2016, he started Vision One Mortgage, a small direct lending company, but just one year later, he lost everything due to his staff being poached by other lenders, bringing their Realtor partners along with him. To make matters worse, one of his loan officers left him in debt from his bad loans.
“I had to liquidate all my assets to pay back all the bad loans that my loan officer stuck me with, and we had to scratch and dent a bunch of loans,” Nguyen said. “Everything was sold off. I owed about $600,000 in just money to the collectors or warehouse lines and all that. I was losing everything.”
Nguyen’s surmounting debt caused him to lose his mortgage company, his house, and even his marriage, in one fell swoop.
“Everyone left me,” Nguyen said. “But as they were leaving me, that’s when I built my social [presence] in 2017.”
In the aftermath of his downfall, Nguyen began leaning on social media to build up his advertising and catch as much business as quickly as possible. With the help of some social media advertising for his mortgage and credit repair business, he did. From March to November in 2018, Nguyen was able to pay off the $600,000 he owed through the leads he generated on social media.
“I saw it change my life and it made me go all in on it,” Nguyen said.
Phillips, on the other hand, began her career as a Realtor before transitioning to be a mortgage originator. Her husband owned the real estate brokerage, Vista Home Loans, and had been wanting to add lending to their business for some time.
“As realtors, we’re in the dark,” Phillips said. “We’d get these very inconsistent updates from the lender after trying to track them down for days. We would need to draft extensions [and] everybody would get frustrated. So I decided I will go ahead and get licensed.”
As for her influencer career, Phillips’s story is similar to Nguyen’s in which she got her start because she was tired of answering the same questions posed by consumers, and saw the need for more financial education.
> Mandy Phillips
Phillips made a list of her borrowers’ frequently asked questions and short videos that provided in-depth responses. When her clients would reach out with these frequently asked questions, she’d include the video in her email response.
“People have responded really well to it,” Phillips said. “They like it and it’s more digestible for them.”
Phillips’s strategy of answering frequently asked questions is a great way to get started with making content. Taking on the role of financial educator is a generally successful approach, especially for originators targeting first-time homebuyers.
When Nguyen worked as a loan officer for his previous employers, he realized many consumers don’t know what a mortgage is or how to qualify for one, hence the company name What’s A Mortgage.
But financial education is helpful to all homebuyers, especially when it comes to different loan options, Nguyen said. Move-up buyers may be newly self-employed and need a Non-QM loan, or considering down payment assistance, or want to be updated on the latest government programs and affordability products.
Accordingly, the first thing mortgage influencers, Nguyen and Phillips, did was identify their target audience and what they want to learn. In the same way originators learn their market in order to decide which products to offer, social sellers need to make targeted, market-based choices on content.
> Minh Nguyen
For underserved, low-income, or first-time borrowers, content explaining affordability programs and products are helpful, as well as news impacting home prices and mortgage rates. Basic educational content about the mortgage process or loan types also works, or explaining terms like FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, mortgage insurance, and down payment assistance.
However, Phillips warns content creators to not dwell too much into their niche. They need to cast a wide net to draw a substantial audience. An originator specializing in divorce lending may gear most of their content in that direction, but attracting a broader following requires a broader content offering.
“I just do the basic loans myself,” Phillips said. “I think that that type of video content is going to bring in the clients and the leads that you’re looking for.”
Nguyen also warns originators to ensure they actually offer the products and programs they talk about. That way the content creator has a better chance of converting clicks to leads, because it’s all about building trust and accountability with the borrower.
“When you start mixing the content together, you’re sending the wrong signal to social media,” Nguyen said. “If I told you, ‘Hey, I love hamburgers, I love meat,’ [and] then you bring me a burger. But I’m like, ‘Why? Why did you bring me a burger? I like tofu.’ It’s just so confusing. So just tell me one thing and let’s stick to that one thing.”
The Irvine-based correspondent brokerage, West Capital Lending, announces its acquisition of Pennsylvania-based brokerage, Red Tree Mortgage, LLC. Already licensed in 47 states, West Capital is looking to expand further into the East Coast and penetrate those markets through the acquisition of small, locally embedded brokerages.
West Capital’s vice president of Business Development, Matthew Blackmer, shared his excitement about joining forces with his long-time acquaintance Alex Reinig, president and CEO of Red Tree Mortgage.
“I specifically had the pleasure of working with them during my tenure at Rocket [Mortgage] right when they were really getting up and running,” said Blackmer. “I got to kind of hear their story [about] why they chose the name Red Tree Mortgage —because their home had a red tree in the back of it.”
Likewise, Reinig told NMP that his relationship with West Capital co-founders Daniel Iskander and Eric Hines stem from their partnerships with Rocket Mortgage.
“I have been part of an inner circle of executives and owners for some time now where we lean on one another for all business initiatives,” Reinig said. “Danny and Eric have always looked for ways to revolutionize our business while creating an amazing company culture.”
Blackmer expressed that, like West Capital, Red Tree Mortgage has an empathetic and personalized client approach, saying they are a “very local, familial based organization that prides themselves on connections and relationships first, while still operating at a very high capacity.”
Red Tree Mortgage formed in 2019 and currently employs eight loan officers. All of them must be busy bees, since Modex shows that the small team was able to close about $22 million in volume among 79 loans in the past 12 months.
Data from Modex also shows the extent that Red Tree Mortgage is locally-focused, sourcing the bulk of its business (68%) in Pennsylvania, followed by Georgia and Virginia. The company pipeline totes many attractive borrowers, since nearly 70% of the loans it originates are conventional purchase loans. But Red Tree Mortgage also offers VA loans, FHA loans, investor loans and more, according to its website.
As loyal Rocket broker partners, Red Tree Mortgage sent slightly more loans (56.8%) to Rocket than West Capital Lending (51.7%) in the past year, according to Modex. Additionally, the split between brokered loans and banked loans for Red Tree Mortgage is roughly 60% and 40%, respectively. West Capital brokered 76.3% of their loans and banked 23.7%.
“In the years of knowing these guys I see glimpses of what my company, Red Tree Mortgage, entails, and coupled with the goals West Capital has for the East Coast this only made sense,” Reignig told NMP. But as for his team, he said “My team of loan officers will now have access to some of the best technology, leads and pricing in the nation.”
Blackmer expanded on the resources West Capital will be providing the team, saying “We want to make sure that we’re providing the best platform to these more localized teams that don’t necessarily have the manpower or the resources built into their platform.”
Correspondent brokerages often acquire smaller brokerages to scale their companies. But why is West Capital looking to join forces with locally embedded teams, specifically? Blackmer harkens back to the Broker Brawl event at Originator Connect last August, when Iskander competed against three of the nation’s largest broker-owners in front of an audience of originators. Iskander won over the crowd in 2023 but missed out on a second-year streak as NEXA Mortgage CEO Mike Kortas won the heavy weight
championship belt.
“If there was one thing that came out of the Broker Brawl this past August,” Blackmer said, “every single mortgage company has that same pitch, ‘we’ve got great technology, we’ve got amazing rates, we’ve got excellent pricing’…We want our individuals to be leading with their knowledge, their expertise, their professionalism.”
However, Blackmer adds, MLOs will have a better chance cutting through the sales pitch by looking at the numbers. A major point for Iskander during the 2023 and 2024 Broker Brawl was the amount of loans the average MLO is producing at West Capital versus the average MLO working for their competitors.
“Look at the numbers and recognize who’s eating and who’s not,” Blackmer said. “What started the conversation with Red Tree Mortgage was the fact we have built this amazing platform that allows so many people to scale their business to new heights and accomplish their goals because we’re putting our team members first. We don’t continue to scale and build unless our people are doing so. It’s not a matter of ‘just get everyone on our platform and then let’s reap the rewards.’”
West Capital Lending also tries to differentiate itself from competitors by allowing the teams they acquire to maintain their own style and individuality in how they run business. So when a client walks in and the show starts, Alex Reinig and his MLOs take center stage as the talent while West Capital Lending acts as its backstage crew, ensuring the technical process of originating can flow seamlessly.
“Their brand is just the platform upon which they’re successful,” Blackmer said. “When I think of our top producers, while they are a part of the West Capital brand and family with unlimited support and resources behind them, they’re the ones that shine.”
“I think if there’s anything that we can see right now, there is a very big turning point in terms of the evolution of the way the mortgage industry is going to work and operate,” Blackmer added.
In the backdrop, the mortgage industry is currently undergoing many changes in terms of compliance, with trigger leads in the Congressional chopping block, new consent rules for acquiring online leads, and potentially CFPB audits for mega brokers on the horizon. Every one of these changes will impact the client acquisition process for many lenders, including small to large brokerage firms. The FCC’s new one-to-one consent rule is top of mind at West Capital.
“We see these legislative pieces that are coming down the pipeline,” Blackmer said. “We know what the atmosphere is calling for and we want to make sure that we’re ahead of the eight ball where our clients know our faces and they know who we are.” He also added: “What’s really on our mind [at West Capital] is making sure that our consumers’ information and their data is protected.”
Blackmer again emphasized West Capital’s differentiator, saying, “It’s one thing to be a brand, it’s another thing to be the professional that is well known and in front of the client. We wanna make sure that is what’s first and foremost.”
Matthew Blackmer is starting a new role at West Capital Lending as vice president of business development. The announcement was made in a LinkedIn post by Blackmer on Tuesday. Blackmer confirmed to NMP that he started on Monday, March 25.
“I am thrilled to announce that I have joined the amazing team at West Capital Lending! Working alongside Eric Hines and Daniel Iskander, we are committed to building the #1 broker platform in the industry and helping mortgage professionals achieve their goals nationwide,” the post read.
Blackmer’s most recent role was director of partnerships at mortgage origination platform, Sonar. Prior to that, Blackmer worked as Rocket Pro TPO’s senior director of partner events, as a Rocket mortgage loan officer, and as a tenant experience associate for Bedrock Detroit.
“Our team is focused and ready to tackle any challenge that comes our way,” the post continued. “We are dedicated to maintaining and growing a culture of excellence and are excited for what the future holds. I am grateful for my time at Sonar and will continue to support them as they grow. The tech stack created by the entire team is truly best in class.”
California-based West Capital Lending is known for being a top collaborator with Rocket and a top brokerage nationwide.
“This new role I’m stepping into is a lot like what I was doing at Rocket,” Blackmer said in a phone call with NMP. “I’ll be working with the team [at West Capital] to create new channels and opportunity… I’m excited to add to the culture of excellence that West Capital has already.”
Leveraging the power of social media, West Capital teams up with What’s A Mortgage’s high-profile loan officers, aiming to transform homeowner education into lucrative loan opportunities.
It’s a new way of doing business and West Capital Lending doesn’t want to miss a beat or a loan. That’s why it’s teamed up with the 15-member team of loan officers at What’s A Mortgage, to be its lead generator.
Minh Nguyen, Jidy Buckley and Adam Encinas of What’s a Mortgage will use their social media followings to educate homeowners and consumers, then capture that client information via direct message (DM), according to West Capital Co-Founder Daniel Iskander.
“They collect these DM’s and essentially it’s like a marketing source,” Iskander said in an interview with NMP. “Then they turn these DM’s into leads and then they close loans.”
Iskander said when Nguyen was doing something similar for loanDepot it led to $70 million in closed production in just one month.
Minh Nguyen
Nguyen is a loan officer with 239,000 followers, and his colleague Buckley has about 365,000 followers just on Instagram.
“The number two and the number four mortgage influencers in the country and their team of loan officers have joined West Capital Lending,” Iskander said.
West Capital Lending has been the top originator for Rocket Pro TPO for the last 29 consecutive months. The company just closed its 10,000th loan on Dec. 8 with Rocket Pro TPO, it does business with about 100 different lenders. In total, West Capital has inked about $3.78 billion worth of loans.
The mortgage influencers will be branding Rocket Pro TPO and West Capital Lending as part of the deal, which doesn’t necessarily come with a large dollar amount. Iskander said they onboarded them like they would any loan originator, since they are also licensed as LOs.
Adam Encinas, vice president at West Capital and president of What’s a Mortgage, manages the team of 15 loan officers who moved onto the platform.
It’s about “using education first and building trust through the content that we put out,” Encinas said.
Jidy Buckley
He went on to add that Iskander has created a “powerhouse broker shop that is forward thinking (in) where it’s going from a mission standpoint, but also a technology standpoint.”
“It’s almost like having retail technology with wholesale rates,” Encinas said, describing West Capital Lending.
Encinas said coming from a direct lending space there seemed to be a “lack of transparency from up top on margins and companies making changes and not understanding why they were doing the changes.” He said those margins just hurt the consumer.
“We are consumer facing on social media, and you need to make sure you offer a product suite that can serve that consumer and a lot of direct lenders cannot do that nor do they have transparency in their pricing,” Encinas said.
Rocket Pro TPO Executive Vice President Mike Fawaz said he could see something special was brewing between the two companies and it all came together at Originator Connect in late August.
“I’m just a middle person and I want to promote every single broker and put them in a position to win,” Fawaz said.
Both companies are on track to have a really good year in 2024, he added.
One of the most contentious issues of the Brokerage Brawl debate at Originator Connect centered on United Wholesale Mortgage’s (UWM) ultimatum that brokers could choose to partner with either UWM or Rocket Pro TPO (and Fairway Independent Mortgage), but not both. The two wholesale lenders dominate the broker channel, offering some of the best pricing, products, technology, and programs for their broker partners. Partnering with one or the other could affect originators’ decision to join a certain brokerage.
While every contender in the brawl agreed it would be ideal to be able to do business with both Rocket Pro TPO and UWM, that’s simply not an option anymore. Every broker owner had to make the best possible decision for their business. However, a bold proposal put forth by Daniel Iskander, CEO of West Capital Lending, and Thuan Nguyen, CEO of Loan factory, could potentially make that option a reality once again.
The Ultimate Decision
Pablo Martinez of Equity Smart Home Loans, like a few of his fellow contenders, was partnered with Rocket Pro TPO and UWM prior to the ultimatum, but ended up going with UWM. Although he portrayed UWM’s ultimatum as being anti-competitive and negative for the broker community, he did decide to choose them over Rocket Pro TPO.
“Our wholesale lenders shouldn’t have too much power over us to dictate what we can and can’t say and do,” Martinez said. “But it’s our job to provide our loan officers with the best tools, resources, and lenders that are available out there. And then let the loan officer decide which lender is best for their borrower.”
In a follow up interview, Martinez added, “They’re a great partner. Do I agree with everything they do? No.”
The rest of the contenders seemed to strongly believe that one wholesaler or the other is wrong in how they do business, which motivated their decision.
One such contender is Iskander of West Capital Lending. At the time the ultimatum came out, Iskander was working as a vice president for E Mortgage Capital under his CEO Joseph Shalaby, who is now his competitor. Iskander sent most of his loans to both UWM and Rocket, but after Shalaby decided to go with UWM when the ultimatum was issued, and he left. Despite the fact he would be leaving a job that he “loved working for,” he could not side with a lender that would limit broker options. He then went on to start his own brokerage, West Capital Lending.
“When the ultimatum came out in 2021 that was a deal breaker for me,” Iskander said. “If you lose that ability to choose it’s an entire danger to the whole broker community.”
Nguyen of Loan Factory, likewise, chose Rocket Pro TPO and said that UWM does not support broker choice.
“They are anti-boker model,” Nguyen said. “And they always say brokers are better. Whoever says one thing and does the other thing, you shouldn’t work with them.”
Mike Kortas of NEXA and Shalaby of E Mortgage Capital justified their decision to choose UWM by claiming Rocket’s retail division is valued over its wholesale division and is a direct competitor to its broker partners.
“If I’m going to have to choose,” Kortas said, “I’m going to choose the one that does not compete against me.”
Shalaby alleged that, in the past, his originators would lose clients after sending in loans to Rocket’s wholesale division. Rocket’s retail division would retain E Mortgage Capital’s customers for future transactions, causing borrower retention at his brokerage to “plummet,” Shalaby claimed.
Executive Vice President of Rocket Pro TPO Mike Fawaz had a chance to respond to those accusations in a follow up interview.
“If you’re working for Rocket TPO, you eliminate Rocket retail as competition,” Fawaz said.
Rather, if one of Rocket’s broker partners is working with a borrower who ends up reaching out to Rocket’s retail division, the retail loan officer will refer the borrower back to their broker partner, Fawaz explained.
Bold Proposals & Predictions
Iskander put forth a bold proposal to the audience at the Brokerage Brawl: he and Nguyen discussed putting together a petition that all mortgage brokers could sign, urging UWM to end the ultimatum so brokers could again have the option of working together with both lenders.
“Kortas laughed at me at dinner last night, saying, ‘You must not know Ishbia very well, because that’s not going to happen.’ Great, but I choose to believe that is going to happen,” Iskander said. “In the next couple years we’re going to have the option to [work with] both lenders.”
Although Kortas said that he would work with both wholesalers today if that were an option, but it’s not and is adamant that it’s never going to be.
“Ishbia is not going to change it because it worked,” Kortas said to Iskander. “He’s winning from it. Why would he change it? He has nothing but a winning mentality and he will win at whatever cost it takes.”
He added that NEXA has 208 lenders set up so his loan officers have plenty to choose from.
“Losing one of them is not going to affect me,” Kortas said. “I could lose 15 of them tomorrow and it would not affect us in the slightest.”
How many broker owners or originators would agree that losing access to 15 more wholesale lenders would not affect their business? Could a petition against the ultimatum actually convince Ishbia to scrap it? And, how many brokers out there are willing to sign such a petition?
Leave your comments below or email kjensen@ambizmedia.com your thoughts.
