Celebrating 6 Months of Patton Gade at UMortgage

Just six months into his role, Patton Gade’s positive influence on UMortgage’s success has been clear. With 33% of all loans originated by UMortgage representing VA loans, 133% growth within the UMortgage Veterans Alliance—a branch solely focused on serving homebuyers from the military community—and a drastic shift in the perception of VA loans throughout the organization, it’s hard to believe he joined the team as National Director of Military Lending just 6 months ago.

As we celebrate half of a year of Patton and the positive impact he’s had across UMortgage’s entire organization, let’s reflect on some of the big milestones that he’s helped us reach.

Patton Gade Joins UMortgage – October 2023

After spending more than 2 years as a Branch Manager at a large retail platform, Patton joined UMortgage to usher in a new standard for VA homebuying services for veteran and active-duty military members across the country. As the leader of UMortgage’s Military Lending Division, Patton set out on a vision to, “educate and serve veterans through their homeownership journey with the same selfless passion in which they serve our country.”

Patton Shares His Mission as National Director of Military Lending on Cheddar News – November 2023

Shortly after he joined UMortgage, Patton made the short trek from UMortgage’s Philadelphia headquarters to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange to help educate individuals across the nation on VA loan benefits with a segment on Cheddar News.

His segment, which appropriately was broadcast just days before Veterans Day, centered around the ways that VA loans work, why they’re so beneficial to active-duty and veteran homebuyers, and what the process looks like to get a VA loan from a bird’s eye view. Just two weeks into his time at UMortgage, Patton’s commitment to VA homebuyers was on display for the world to see as he busted some of the most common myths for a national audience.

UMortgage Finishes 2023 with 1,031 VA Borrowers Served – December 2023

Prior to Patton’s arrival, UMortgage already had a strong team of Loan Originators who specialized in VA loans and the veteran homebuying process. Jimmy Hobson—Branch Manager & Scotsman Guide-ranked VA Originator for each of the 3 years he’s spent at UMortgage—and Jay Bunte—Branch Manager and 2024 Scotsman-ranked VA originator—both laid a solid foundation for UMortgage’s VA expertise that Patton was easily able to build upon.

With Patton leading UMortgage’s Military Lending Division, the innovative mortgage company demonstrated what’s to come long-term with 1,030 of its company-record 6,085 yearly funded units in 2023 accounting for VA loans. Additionally, as of April 16, 33% of UMortgage’s total loan volume in 2024 has come from VA loans.

Patton Coordinates a VA Training Hosted by Jay Bunte – January 2024

Building a mortgage platform that’s well-suited to navigate the nuances of VA loans starts with education. In January, Jay Bunte, UVA Branch Manager and 2024 Scotsman Guide-ranked VA Originator, hosted a Daily Sales Huddle on the most common mistakes that he sees LOs make when originating VA loans.

By providing hands-on educational opportunities from subject-matter experts, UMortgage is elevating every LO within the organization with the knowledge needed to offer a best-in-class homebuying experience for VA homebuyers. Through Patton’s leadership and Jay’s educational offerings, UMortgage engrains a set standard across the platform for consistent and excellent service.

Patton Hosts Company-Wide Training on Smoothly Scaling Production – February 2023

Building a team of great VA LOs starts with a team of great LOs; to be a great LO, one needs a solid routine of repeatable and scalable daily sales activities. Before he earned his status as the nation’s top VA LO, Patton had to first master those skills mentioned previously.

In late February, Patton led a Sales Huddle for UMortgage LOs on mastering the basics to efficiently scale production. During his presentation, he shared personal anecdotes on his journey from call center LO to a consistent $100 million yearly producer with the daily structure and sales strategies he followed to get to that point.

This huddle was one of the many ways that Patton’s leadership and expertise stretched beyond just VA loans to lift all of UMortgage’s LOs in his six months as a leader within the platform.

Patton Joins the Good. Better. Broker Podcast – March 2023

Having approached two full quarters at UMortgage, Patton’s vision as National Director of Military Lending had become crystal clear. With the foundation for UMortgage’s Military Lending Division laid, Patton joined UWM’s Good. Better. Broker. podcast to share an inside look at the team of VA loan experts that he’s building at UMortgage.

Although his goal is to make UMortgage the nation’s best brokerage for VA homebuyers, Patton also endeavors to enhance VA homebuying experiences throughout the industry by dismantling barriers and ensuring veteran homeownership becomes more attainable nationwide. After discussing the ways that UMortgage is opening more doors for homeownership, he also shared commonplace practices that all loan officers should hold to serve military homebuyers with the kind of service befitting of their service to the country.

Patton Ranked #2 On 2024 Scotsman Guide Top VA Volume Rankings – April 2023

Patton has long since established himself as one of the best VA Loan Originators in the nation. In early April, he was featured at #2 on the 2024 Scotsman Guide Top VA Volume rankings with $115,577.350 in VA loan volume with 213 veterans and active-duty military members served.

Alongside Patton on the 2024 Scotsman Guide Top VA Originator Rankings were Jay Bunte (#22) and Jimmy Hobson (#85). Three LOs ranked in the top 100 is a company record for UMortgage; this accomplishment, coupled with the 133% growth seen by the UMortgage Veteran’s Alliance since Patton’s arrival, is a strong sign of great things to come for veteran homebuyers.

If you want to contribute to this mission as a member of the UMortgage Veteran’s Alliance, register here for an opportunity to speak directly with Patton and other UMortgage leaders about the opportunities available at the platform.