Summary
This article shares strategies to establish a strong reputation as a leading mortgage lender. It emphasizes the importance of client relationships, continuous learning, and innovative marketing techniques. Focusing on excellence and adaptability can help lenders stand out in a competitive market.
Want to become a top producing mortgage lender, industry leader, and stay on top? Here’s what it takes.
Like real estate agents and brokerages, there are many individuals, entrepreneurs and executives who aspire to become big earners, notable personalities and to operate leading businesses. So, what’s the difference between the few top performers and the rest of the wannabes? Where’s the bar at for being a top producer today? Where will it be over the next few years?
Become a Top Producing Mortgage Lender
There is tremendous appeal to becoming a top performer in the mortgage business. If it’s not simply being able to help thousands of individuals and families into homes and to manage their finances better, there are great opportunities for philanthropy with great success. There is prestige, the ability to create jobs, and millions and millions of dollars to be made.
If you look right at the top of the food chain you have legends like Warren Buffett whose favorite investments still include real estate and lending, and who now perhaps has more influence than anyone else.
Even among the ranks of relatively new mortgage loan officers there are incredible incomes to be made that can change your life in a very short period of time. You can check out what all the top mortgage lenders have in common here.
Of course, most won’t rise above more than average. They may not have the hustle, be thinking big enough, or be adapting fast enough. For those that do want to excel, here are some good benchmarks and tools for doing more.
Top Producing Mortgage Lenders
According to Housing Wire, these are the top mortgage lenders by annual origination volume according to the most recent data.
- Well Fargo $94.7B
- Quicken Loan $86B
- Bank of America $50.6B
- Chase $50.3B
- LoanDepot $35.1B
- Caliber Home Loans $32.3B
- United Wholesale Mortgage $29.5B
- PHH Mortgage $20.9B
- US Bank Home Mortgage $20.2B
- Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp. $20B
- Guaranteed Rate $19.2B
- Freedom Mortgage $17.1B
- Stearns Lending $16.1
The only three on this list which were gaining market share were UWM, Caliber and Fairway. All whom are big on mortgage technology, digital loan applications and mobile mortgage apps.
You can also check out the Scotsman Guide rankings of Top Mortgage Lenders which differs from this list HERE.
Top Performing Loan Officers
According to National Mortgage News, these are the top producing loan officers in the US by total dollar volume of mortgages originated annually.
- Mark Cohen $579,577,758
- Shant Banosian $475,938,692
- Anthony Musante $282,768,380
- Andrew Marquis $278,529,031
- Ben Cohen $271,143,617
- Risha Kilaru $268,046,607
- Michael Rodriguez $249,204,220
- Ramon Walker $243,191,511
- Julie Long $237,997,029
- Baret Kechian
Location may be an influential factor in loan officer performance as well. It can put you on the doorstep of big loan sizes, high volumes of transactions, or not. Of course, you can do business from anywhere today. Yet, if you want to put yourself in the heart of some bigger numbers you might consider moving to Hawaii, DC, California, Florida, New York or Massachusetts. Learn about the daily schedule of these top mortgage lenders.
Ask A Lender’s top mortgage rankings for 2018 by state included and number of loans originated by the top LO are as follows.
So, maybe just move state and you’ll already be the #1 local broker. Or use this as inspiration to go even larger. Think in billions and think over 1,000 closed loans per year.
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The Shift
The mortgage market is always influx. Not only does market size often shift depending on what’s happening on the real estate side, but interest rates also change how the market is balanced between purchase and refi business. Investment activity, second home purchases construction all shifts too. So, do loan programs. You’ve got to be highly agile and always be thinking forward and prepared to create loan volume when these changes come along.
Another sizable change that loan officers and executives have to deal with is where the capital is flowing from, and how consumers are connecting with loan providers. Before 2008 brokers had grown to being responsible for over 60% of new mortgages. Then they were sacrificed by the big banks and served up to their death to the regulators. Nonbank lending is back in a big way today. They are largely responsible for a lot of the growth of top mortgage lenders. It’s wise to watch out for the next cycle change.
A part of the next evolution is likely to include new social lending solutions like SoFi, and perhaps super-lenders like Zillow. Whether the new generation of ‘private lenders’ lasts the next correction, we’ll have to see.
Through the short, medium and long term, the future of mortgage lending seems to rely on two things:
- Technology and the efficiency it provides
- Personal service and customer satisfaction
Teams
If you want to be at the top of this game, it’s going to take a team. There is no way you are closing 1,000 loans a year, or 3 a day, without a great team and great technology.
You might pull off ten, maybe even 30 closings a month between you, an amazing loan processor, and couple of good assistants. That’s about the ceiling.
Fortunately, you won’t need as large a team as it used to take. New mortgage tech and digital loan applications and mortgage CRMs are making much of the process effortless.
Yet, you will need strong people, people you can train well, people to decipher and apply efforts to all the data you are collecting, and probably the help of some other sales people and loan officers. At least until AI and VR take over.
Mapping Your Way to the Top
If you aim to be a top producing mortgage company, the two main tasks to tackle are:
- Bringing in the best mortgage technology you can
- Using that tech to attract and empower the very best loan officers you can
If you are reading this and you are still at the loan officer level or are still aspiring to become a mortgage entrepreneur of some type, then you may begin scaling up with these steps.
- Become a loan officer
- Create your own team
- Open your own mortgage branch
- Move up to correspondent lender status
- Get your own mortgage lender license
- Start your own fund to raise capital and invest in the secondary market
- Achieve bank status to be able to accept deposits
Key Takeaways
- Foster Strong Client Relationships
Personal connections and exceptional service set you apart.
- Embrace Technology and Innovation
Modern tools enhance efficiency and market reach.
- Focus on Branding and Reputation
Consistent, high-quality marketing builds long-term success.
Commonly Asked Questions
- What habits contribute to becoming a top lender?
Consistent networking, investing in technology, and focusing on client relationships build a strong foundation for success.
- Why is client education essential for top lenders?
Educating clients fosters trust, simplifies decision-making, and positions the lender as an expert.
- How does technology play a role in staying competitive?
Modern tools like CRMs and AI solutions streamline processes and enhance customer experiences, giving lenders an edge.
- What mindset is crucial for long-term success?
Adopting a proactive, client-first approach and continually seeking improvement are key for sustained growth.
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