Last week, 389 originators switched companies and 1,437 individuals obtained their NMLS license. Notable originator movements last week include:
Figures are based on last 14 months’ production.
Top Gainers (non-Bank/CU):
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.
It’s no secret that the mortgage industry has had a rough few years.
But one way to see the impact is simply to look at how many loan officers are actually producing.
|
Year |
Producing MLOs |
YoY Change |
|
2019 |
240,786 |
— |
|
2020 |
262,554 |
+9.0% |
|
2021 |
287,728 |
+9.6% |
|
2022 |
283,641 |
-1.4% |
|
2023 |
234,809 |
-17.2% |
|
2024 |
220,581 |
-6.1% |
|
2025 |
226,155 |
+2.5% |
|
2026 YTD |
205,037 |
-9.3% |
The industry peaked at nearly 288,000 producing MLOs in 2021.
By 2024, that number had fallen to roughly 221,000. We finally saw a small rebound in 2025, but so far in 2026, the count has moved back in the other direction.
The obvious question is: How many loan officers can continue weathering the storm?
And, perhaps just as importantly, what can those of us who support LOs do to help?
RETR Is Sponsoring CE for 100 Loan Officers
Our friend LaDonna Lockard recently launched the continuing education platform LockedIn Learning, and RETR wants to do our part.
We’re sponsoring 100 loan officers to take LockedIn Learning’s national CE course.
To enter, LOs simply need to install and use RETR Sidekick, our new tool that surfaces verified production data on the real estate agents and loan officers right inside your Gmail or Outlook. It’s free for any LO to use. No subscription required, and it also comes with a 30-day free trial to the RETR platform for deeper insights. Install it at www.retrsidekick.com.
Anyone who installs and uses RETR Sidekick will automatically be entered to win.
We’ll begin drawing winners on a rolling basis starting October 1.
The mortgage industry has asked a lot of its loan officers over the past few years. This is one small way we can help support the people who have kept showing up.
LockedIn Learning-NMLS Provider #: 1405125. Course #'s: 18981 and 19057
When it comes to mortgage market intelligence, you have a handful of options, and RETR is one that truly stands out. Here’s what Thomas Harris, a top producer at Xpert Home Lending has to say about RETR: “RETR has been a great tool for having better conversations with real estate agents, being able to follow up with past clients and track their funding dates, and to be able to find new potential agent partners. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to grow their business in a strategic way.”
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.