Kyle Koller Earns 2024 HousingWire Rising Stars Honor

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.

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.

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.