Market Movers
Last week, 266 originators switched companies and 1,276 individuals obtained their NMLS license. Notable originator movements last week include:
- Blake Bench ($64.6M, 104 units) joined Barrett Financial Group, L.L.C.
- Janardhan Vangala ($59.3M, 115 units) joined TRI VALLEY HOME LOANS LLC
- Zachary Appleby ($57.4M, 177 units) joined Highlands Residential Mortgage, Ltd.
- Luis Moreno ($53.4M, 159 units) joined Omni-Fund, Inc.
- Judd Patterson ($50.3M, 105 units) joined HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation
- Jason Smith ($49M, 64 units) joined ALAMEDA MORTGAGE CORPORATION
- Wesley Putnam ($47.8M, 107 units) joined GRIFFIN FUNDING, INC.
- Jena Flowers ($45.5M, 129 units) joined New American Funding, LLC
- Bradley Martin ($42.5M, 81 units) joined New American Funding, LLC
- Gianni Cerretani ($42.2M, 116 units) joined American Neighborhood Mortgage Acceptance Company LLC
- Rhett Nesbit ($40.9M, 77 units) joined West Capital Lending, Inc.
Figures are based on last 14 months’ production.
Market Movers (Companies)
Top Gainers (non-Bank/CU):
- GRIFFIN FUNDING, INC. +11.42%
- Omni-Fund, Inc. +10.26%
- American Bancshares Mortgage, LLC +7.42%
- Newfi Lending +4.54%
- Matador Lending LLC +4.49%
- Loan Pronto, Inc. +4.46%
- Home Mortgage Advisors, LLC +3.32%
- Affinity Home Lending LLC +2.95%
- ALAMEDA MORTGAGE CORPORATION +2.86%
- Saxton Mortgage, LLC +1.93%
Calculations based on last aggregate production of individual LO’s 14 months’ production for companies with at least 20 loan officers. Excludes companies below $100M in 14mo LO production value after gains factored in.
Is the Grass Greener...for Everyone? A Deeper Look at LO Movers
Last week, we asked a simple question: does switching companies actually make loan officers more productive?
At a high level, the answer looked like “yes.”
But averages can hide the real story.
So we went deeper—breaking down the 2024 mover cohort by their 2023 production (units) to see who actually benefited by 2025.
The results are far more revealing.
Low producers saw massive gains
1–9 units (2023)
→ 4.8 → 15.8 units (+229%)
→ $1.77M → $5.50M (+210%)
This group didn’t just improve—they transformed.
For lower-producing LOs, switching companies appears to be a step-change event. A new environment, better support, or stronger platform can materially change trajectory at this level.
Mid-tier LOs saw solid, but more modest growth
10–24 units
→ 16.1 → 23.2 units (+44%)
25–49 units
→ 34.7 → 36.1 units (+4%)
Here’s where things start to normalize.
Yes, performance improves—but the magnitude drops significantly. The higher the starting point, the harder it is to generate outsized gains just from a move.
Top producers? A completely different story
50–99 units
→ 67.3 → 59.3 units (-12%)
100+ units
→ 158.5 → 98.9 units (-38%)
This is the most important—and most overlooked—insight:
The highest-producing LOs actually saw declines after switching.
So what’s really going on?
1. The grass is greener… at the bottom of the hill
Lower producers benefit the most from changing environments. They have more room to grow—and more to gain from better infrastructure or support.
2. Diminishing returns are real
As production increases, the impact of switching decreases. Growth becomes more dependent on personal systems, relationships, and execution.
3. At the top, disruption can outweigh upside
For elite producers, switching introduces real risk:
- Pipeline disruption
- Relationship instability
- Time to rebuild workflows
At that level, even small inefficiencies can translate into meaningful production loss.
The takeaway for lenders is clear:
Recruiting low-to-mid producers? There’s real upside to unlock.
Recruiting top producers? It’s far more fragile than it looks.
And for LOs:
The grass can be greener—but only depending on where you’re standing.
Because in this market, switching companies isn’t universally a growth strategy.
For some, it’s a catalyst.
For others, it’s a risk.
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