Last week, 285 originators switched companies and 1,231 individuals obtained their NMLS license. Notable originator movements last week include:
Figures are based on last 14 months’ production.
Top Gainers (non-Bank/CU):
GVC Mortgage, Inc. +1.76%
Calculations based on last aggregate production of individual LO’s 14 months’ production. Excludes companies below $100M in 14mo LO production value after gains factored in.
Some mortgage markets are simply harder to break into than others.
Not because they produce fewer homebuyers.
Not because there are fewer Realtors.
But because Realtor-lender relationships are fundamentally different.
Until now, there hasn't been a way to measure those differences.
Last week, we introduced the Agent Loyalty Index (ALI) and found that Realtor loyalty varies meaningfully from state to state.
This week, we zoomed in.
We analyzed hundreds of thousands of Realtor-lender relationships at the county level and discovered that local relationship dynamics vary even more dramatically than state averages suggest.
If you're using the same sales strategy in every market, you may already be at a disadvantage.
What Is the Agent Loyalty Index?
The Agent Loyalty Index (ALI) measures how consistently a real estate agent works with the same mortgage lender versus distributing business across multiple lending partners.
It is measured on a 0–10 scale.
A higher ALI indicates more concentrated mortgage lender relationships. A lower ALI indicates Realtor business is distributed across a broader group of lending partners.
The Agent Loyalty Index doesn't measure whether a market is "good" or "bad." It measures how concentrated Realtor-lender relationships are within that market.
For this analysis, we included only counties with at least 50 producing real estate agents located in that county in order to ensure meaningful comparisons.
Counties with the Highest Agent Loyalty Index
Among qualifying counties, these markets exhibited the most concentrated Realtor-lender relationships.
| Rank | County | State | Agent Loyalty Index |
| 1 | Lea | NM | 6.42 |
| 2 | Imperial | CA | 6.38 |
| 3 | Webb | TX | 6.29 |
| 4 | Madera | CA | 6.21 |
| 5 | Paulding | GA | 6.2 |
| 6 | Cumberland | NJ | 6.12 |
| 7 | San Joaquin | CA | 6.08 |
| 8 | Rockdale | GA | 6.01 |
| 9 | Ross | OH | 6 |
| 10 | Cecil | MD | 5.99 |
| 11 | Lebanon | PA | 5.98 |
| 12 | Stanislaus | CA | 5.95 |
| 13 | Saint Louis City | MO | 5.94 |
| 14 | Montgomery | VA | 5.94 |
| 15 | Weber | UT | 5.86 |
| 16 | Yolo | CA | 5.84 |
| 17 | Prince Georges | MD | 5.84 |
| 18 | San Bernardino | CA | 5.82 |
| 19 | Clinton | NY | 5.82 |
| 20 | Bucks | PA | 5.82 |
| 21 | Chesapeake City | VA | 5.82 |
| 22 | Walton | GA | 5.81 |
| 23 | Sutter | CA | 5.8 |
| 24 | Gloucester | NJ | 5.8 |
| 25 | Monroe | NY | 5.79 |
Counties with the Lowest Agent Loyalty Index
These counties demonstrated the most diversified Realtor-lender relationships:
| Rank | County | State | Agent Loyalty Index |
| 1 | Cerro Gordo | IA | 2.93 |
| 2 | Defiance | OH | 3.04 |
| 3 | Saint Lawrence | NY | 3.12 |
| 4 | Waupaca | WI | 3.17 |
| 5 | Oneida | WI | 3.18 |
| 6 | Des Moines | IA | 3.24 |
| 7 | La Crosse | WI | 3.42 |
| 8 | Wood | WI | 3.47 |
| 9 | Sauk | WI | 3.5 |
| 10 | Eau Claire | WI | 3.52 |
| 11 | McCracken | KY | 3.53 |
| 12 | Outagamie | WI | 3.53 |
| 13 | Adams | IL | 3.55 |
| 14 | Boyd | KY | 3.55 |
| 15 | Marathon | WI | 3.56 |
| 16 | Portage | WI | 3.56 |
| 17 | Sheboygan | WI | 3.56 |
| 18 | Bulloch | GA | 3.58 |
| 19 | Burleigh | ND | 3.59 |
| 20 | Manitowoc | WI | 3.59 |
| 21 | Lafayette | MS | 3.65 |
| 22 | Franklin | MO | 3.66 |
| 23 | Aroostook | ME | 3.67 |
| 24 | Crow Wing | MN | 3.69 |
Download the Full Agent Loyalty Index by County Here
Why County-Level Analysis Matters
The difference between Lea County, New Mexico (6.42) and Cerro Gordo County, Iowa (2.93) illustrates just how differently Realtor relationships can develop from one local area to another.
Markets with higher Agent Loyalty Index scores tend to have more concentrated lender relationships, where Realtors consistently work with a smaller group of preferred lending partners.
Markets with lower scores generally reflect a broader distribution of business across multiple lenders.
Neither environment is inherently better.
But they represent very different competitive landscapes.
A loan officer entering a market where relationships are highly concentrated faces a different challenge than one entering a market where Realtors routinely work with multiple lenders.
Production tells you how much business exists.
The Agent Loyalty Index helps explain how that business is distributed.
That's a dimension of mortgage market intelligence the industry has never had before.
A Better Way to Understand Your Market
Every market has its own relationship dynamics.
Until now, those dynamics were largely invisible.
The Agent Loyalty Index makes them measurable.
Whether you're expanding into a new territory, recruiting loan officers, prioritizing Realtor outreach, or evaluating market opportunities, understanding how concentrated local Realtor relationships are provides context that transaction volume alone cannot.
The obvious next question is: What does your market look like?
Because if Realtor loyalty varies this much from one county to the next, your local competitive landscape may be very different than you think.
When it comes to mortgage market intelligence, you have a handful of options, and RETR is one that truly stands out. Here’s what Evan Einhorn, Top Producer at Modern Home Lending has to say about RETR: “RETR is a powerful tool for loan officers and brokers. It goes beyond just showing production data but gives insight into LO and Agent’s own business and prospective partners, too. RETR dives deeper into what investors LO’s favor, areas they work in, along with giving them opportunity information like Refi Finder and Loan Loss Report which is valuable info.”
But you don’t have to take their word for it. RETR offers a free trial to individuals and organizations to judge the quality of the data and insights for themselves.