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UMortgage West Expands Service to Homebuyers in Utah with Houzd Mortgage Partnership

February 6, 2024

UMortgage West Expands Service to Homebuyers in Utah with Houzd Mortgage Partnership

BOUNTIFUL, UT., January 29, 2024 — UMortgage West — the Utah-based branch of the national mortgage platform, UMortgage — is delighted to announce that it is partnering with Houzd, a mortgage brokerage serving homebuyers throughout Utah since 2006.

UMortgage West Branch Managers — Kyle Koller, Jimmy Hobson, and Adam West — and a team of 59 Loan Originators have made a tremendous impact on their community in 2023; together, they served more than 1,000 families throughout Utah with dutiful homebuying experiences that put the buyers’ needs first.

UMortgage West’s partnership with Houzd — which served 400 families this year — is a mutual effort to continue to create life-changing opportunities through homeownership for more homebuyers across the state.

“We’ve been looking at partnership opportunities with brokerages throughout our state to help boost our ability to best serve homebuyers in Utah,” said Kyle Koller, a Branch Manager at UMortage West. “The team at Houzd really emerged as the group that aligned directly with our vision. We’re excited to combine our talents to give homebuyers in Utah the best experience possible.”

Houzd was founded in 2007 by President, Anthony VanDyke. With more than 17 years serving homebuyers throughout Utah and California, VanDyke built Houzd to become one of the top-producing brokerages throughout the state.

“Anthony Casa and I go way back, and when I finally saw the glittering opportunity with UMortgage, it was like my wife finding the perfect pair of shoes on sale – you just couldn’t pass it up!” said VanDyke on his decision to bring Houzd to UMortgage.

“I was truly impressed by the loan and marketing resources that UMortgage has cultivated. Their capabilities in these areas far exceed anything I could have achieved on my own, elevating what we can offer to a level I had only dreamed of as a small company owner,” continued VanDyke. “UMortgage's impressive scale gives me access to lower interest rates. This translates into tangible advantages for my real estate partners and mortgage clients. Aligning with UMortgage is akin to unlocking a hidden level in a game, revealing new possibilities and opportunities for everyone involved.”

Carter Campbell, a former Houzd Branch Manager, joins VanDyke at UMortgage West with the pair taking roles as Branch Managers for UMortgage West’s new office in Draper, Utah. Campbell is a Utah native with a decade of experience under his belt in the mortgage industry.

“UMortgage’s momentum and growth in the most difficult market I’ve ever seen is a really attractive prospect as someone who wants to help more homebuyers,” said Campbell. “This platform will allow me to easily scale my business to help more buyers throughout Utah. By providing my homebuyers and Realtor partners with value through education, personable service, and a more accessible mortgage experience, the UMortgage platform is really going to help me become a better Loan Originator and manager.”

Following this merger, UMortgage West will have a roster of 73 Loan Originators accessible for homebuyers across the state with offices in Bountiful and Draper. In 2023, UMortgage West funded more than 1,000 units for $350 million in volume. With Houzd’s 2023 production of 400 units for $185 million, UMortgage West aims to become the top brokerage in the state of Utah.

As a whole, UMortgage has seen consecutive years of exponential growth since its founding in 2020. In 2023, it saw a 116% year-over-year funded volume increase with more than 6,000 families served in 48 states across the nation. UMortgage is eager to continue its trend of doubling its production for a third consecutive year in 2024.

If you’re interested in learning more about the ways that UMortgage is helping create strong communities by offering homebuyers a streamlined and stress-free buying experience, please visit umortgage.com.

About UMortgage

UMortgage is a mortgage platform built to help loan originators scale their businesses and create life-changing opportunities through homeownership. With LOs licensed nationwide, UMortgage is providing opportunities to create strong communities through financial literacy, support, and homeownership advocacy.

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NewsMay 10, 2024

Anthony Casa on the Current State of the Mortgage Industry and Market Opportunities

The mortgage industry and those working within it have faced a fair number of challenges in the last two years. Rapidly rising mortgage rates and dwindling housing inventory have hurt demand and have negatively impacted mortgage brokers and brokerages. However, where some see market challenges, others see prime opportunities to lay a foundation for success. This is exactly the mindset that Anthony Casa, President & CEO of UMortgage, holds and wants brokers nationwide to adopt. “This is a cycle-driven business,” said Casa in an interview with Fergal McAlinden, News Editor of MPA Magazine. “You have to be early because when the market turns, others will scramble while you’ve already set your business up to scale effortlessly.” This mentality has been key to UMortgage’s exponential growth in a shrinking market. The growing mortgage platform broke its yearly records for funded volume and families served in 2022 and 2023 and is on track to raise the bar again in 2024. In April this year, UMortgage set company records for monthly funded units and volume with 688 families served for $238mil in volume. The platform is on pace to break those yearly records once again with sights set on at least $3.25bil in yearly volume. As brokers start to look ahead to the changing market conditions expected later this year and in 2025, it’s crucial to consider if they’re well-equipped to manage the influx of prospective buyers and past buyers who want to refinance to a lower rate. With a penchant for production growth in any market, UMortgage has proven itself to be the go-to platform for brokers who want to scale their production. To learn more about the opportunities available at UMortgage, visit this page for an inside look at the business growth tools available.

NewsMay 3, 2024

UMortgage Sets Company Record for Monthly Funded Volume in April 2024

PHILADELPHIA, PA., May 6th, 2024 — UMortgage, a national mortgage company committed to creating life-changing opportunities through homeownership, has developed a habit of setting a new company record nearly every quarter. In April, the platform set a new company record with $238mil in monthly funded volume with 688 families served. Coming off its third highest-producing quarter in company history during Q1 2024, UMortgage is on track to fund an estimated $3.25bil in volume this year. This company record indicates the exponential rate of growth that UMortgage continually achieves every year. From 2021 to 2024, UMortgage averaged an explosive 128% year-over-year growth despite the continued market challenges of rising rates and shrinking inventory that have shaken others in the industry. Reflecting on UMortgage's trajectory, Anthony Casa, President & CEO says, “We’re a much better team now. Everyone is rowing in the same direction with a steadfast commitment to get better every day and make UMortgage the best mortgage company in America.” “It takes the entire team for us to continue to grow and set records when others in our industry downsize,” continued Casa. “Not only are we on pace for our fourth-consecutive year with a new company record for funded volume and families served, but we’re also coming together as a team and positively impacting our communities.” The company's last record month was set back in May 2023. In April, UMortgage announced three new additions to its executive leadership team who will each contribute unique value to UMortgage’s Loan Originators and team members and capitalize on the platform’s momentum. Headlining these additions is Jimmy Hobson taking a role as National Sales Leader after serving as Branch Manager for UMortgage West — UMortgage’s top-producing and fastest-growing branch — since 2021. Utilizing her hands-on experience as Loan Specialist Team Lead, Christina Escobar was promoted to VP of People to continue to develop the company’s culture which prioritizes Relationships, Not Transactions. On top of those two internal promotions, UMortgage also welcomed Mike Farah as Director of Sales Operations in April. Farah joined UMortgage from New Jersey-based Garden State Home Loans to help improve the Operations workflows and tighten the company’s leading turn times. With a clear vision for the future and fresh, experienced leadership paving the path, UMortgage is on pace for its fourth consecutive company record for yearly funded volume and units. Casa will further outline the platform’s vision and goals for 2024 and beyond alongside Corie Meredith, VP of Marketing, and Patton Gade, National Director of Military Lending, during the bi-weekly Loan Originators Powered by UMortgage call this Thursday, May 9th at 2pm ET. Follow the previous link to register and gain an inside look at the platform’s future plans. About UMortgage: UMortgage is a national mortgage platform on a mission to create life-changing opportunities through homeownership for homebuyers across the country. With Loan Originators licensed from coast to coast, an expansive suite of lenders to shop from, and a quick, clear, & communicative homebuying process, UMortgage is ushering in a modern mortgage experience that can cater to any homebuyer.

NewsApril 24, 2024

Kyle Koller Earns 2024 HousingWire Rising Stars Honor

UMortgage is proud to announce that Kyle Koller, Branch Manager of UMortgage West, has been named one of HousingWire’s 2024 Rising Stars award recipients. This award spotlights 80 leaders aged 40 years or younger who are driving the mortgage, real estate, and fintech industries forward. Since he joined the UMortgage platform in 2021, Koller developed UMortgage West into one of the biggest brokerages in the state of Utah and UMortgage—which has averaged +128% growth from 2021-2024—into one of the fastest-growing mortgage platforms in the country. His exceptional leadership and mortgage expertise led the branch to exponentially increase its production year after year to help serve more than 1,000 families in 2023. At the start of the year, he was a key driver in the negotiations that led to UMortgage’s acquisition of Houzd—a high-producing Utah-based brokerage that originated 400 units for $185mil in volume in 2023. By aligning the two top mortgage brokerages in Utah, Koller and his team will further increase homeownership opportunities offered to residents throughout the state and beyond. “It is an honor to be recognized as a HousingWire Rising Star in this current industry,” celebrated Koller. “UMortgage has provided me the platform to grow the nation's greatest team of Loan Officers while providing mentors that can help me grow as a better leader and communicator. They are helping me become the best Branch Manager in the United States, and I’m thrilled to continue to create life-changing opportunities through homeownership.” Koller exemplifies UMortgage’s core value to Create Strong Communities by regularly getting involved in his local community to help create life-changing opportunities through homeownership. He hosts weekly training sessions for real estate agents in his area to provide personal housing market updates and other inside knowledge to help them arm their homebuyers with knowledge. With his 2024 Rising Stars award, Koller is one of 4 current UMortgage leaders honored with a HousingWire award in the last two years. Gil Arbitsman, CFO, was a 2023 HousingWire Finance Leader, Corie Meredith, VP of Marketing, earned a 2023 HousingWire Marketing Leaders award, and David Higgins, Senior Project Manager, earned the distinction as a 2023 HousingWire Insider. Under its award-winning leadership team, UMortgage is ushering in the future of the mortgage industry. During an internal presentation on April 18th, it announced that Koller’s former fellow UMortgage West Branch Manager, Jimmy Hobson, had been promoted to National Sales Leader. With this leadership in place, UMortgage hopes to replicate the successes of Koller and the others at UMortgage West across all branches. Following the platform’s record-breaking year in 2023, UMortgage is off to a great start in 2024. Despite an unexpected spike in mortgage rates, the platform is projected to surpass its company record for funded volume yet again after funding 1,547 units for $510mil in volume in Q1 of 2024. Register here to learn more about the ways that UMortgage can elevate your business and make you a rising star in the mortgage industry.