Most homes in the United States are financed with either a purchased or refinanced mortgage. The mortgage loan brokers industry in the US primarily engage in arranging loans between borrowers and lenders.

This article will look into the Top 13 Mortgage Brokers in the USA this year.

Mortgage brokering encompasses a major part of the industry’s activity. Historically speaking, the industry has grown in line with the US economy. In more recent years, it is evident that the increase in consumer confidence and favorable interest rates has benefited the industry immensely.

With the global outbreak of cCOVID19 in 2020, many mortgage brokers and mortgage companies were affected. Most companies have to shut down, and the job security of many people was being questioned.

Many people in the US were terrified about whether or not if they will be able to make their mortgage payments and whether they will to be able to keep their jobs or not. There was a decrease in demand for mortgages as consumers’ lost confidence due to the economic uncertainty brought by the pandemic.

However, as a lot of offices shift to work online from their homes, the use of digital conference a lot of economic activities resumed, and the state of the economy began to recover, the demand for property and mortgage took an upsurge.

Yet, the demand for services of mortgage brokers seemed to be declining slightly. Meanwhile, online lenders continued to streamline lending processes. This shift to online lending has resulted in a growing share of borrowers bypassing brokers altogether, but saying so for property investors and developers would never ignore a mortgage broker’s benefits, as opposed to reaching out to lenders directly.

For a first time buyer, buying a home may seem like a complex process. Aside from the challenges of finding a perfect home, you are also faced with the challenge of finding the right financing professional.

However, choosing the right financial professional, e.g. mortgage broker, can make a big difference in finding a mortgage that suits your financial situation. Especially, that will help you to put strategies in place to accumulate more properties within a shorter time.

There are two types of financial professionals you may come across as your shopping for a mortgage. Most likely, you may run into a Mortgage Broker and/or a Mortgage Loan Originator. Although people use them interchangeably, they actually play very different roles.

Let’s explore more about Mortgage Brokers and Mortgage Loan Originators before jumping on to the list of best Mortgage Brokers in the USA.

Mortgage Brokers vs Mortgage Loan Originators

A mortgage broker is a licensed professional who works with multiple lenders. They act as intermediaries who connect a borrower to the lender without using their money to establish the connection. They have access to a wide range of products.

A mortgage loan originator (MLO) is an individual who works for a mortgage producing entity such as a lender or a specific institution such as a bank to originate mortgage loans.

So how can you differentiate between a mortgage broker and a mortgage loan originator?

Although both the mortgage broker and the mortgage originator compile all the documents needed for the client’s loan application process and submit the documentation, their roles are not the same.

Here is the full list of differences between mortgage brokers and mortgage originators.

 

Mortgage broker

Mortgage originator

1

Middle man

Can be both a broker and the original lender

2

An individual contractor that brings the borrower and the lender together

An individual or company that works with an underwriter to complete the mortgage process for the borrower

3

Works with multiple lenders

Works for a specific lender, broker or bank

4

Requires the state’s license before they can practice in the state

They only require a license when working for./as a broker or a lender and not while working for a bank as a contractor or employee.

5

Do not have money to lend, so only guide you through the application process

Originates loan, guides you through the loan process and tracks the process regularly until the deal is closed.

6

In a minority of cases, they tend to be more expensive as they are paid a percentage of the final loan value directly by the lender

The originator is paid by the firm they work for, so they are cheaper, in some cases

7

They can search for the most suitable lender with the best loan option

Offer loan options based on what is available from the institution they work for

8

have no control over the mortgage process as soon as the hand over the application and the supporting documents to the lender

May resolves any issue with the loan application process with other departments and the underwriter and keeps the client updated on the status of the application. They have more access to the bank they are working for.

9

Brokered loans take longer to close, in some cases as the mortgage broker is a third party.

Since there is no “intermediary” in this setup, loans are often processed slightly quicker.

10

They are ideal for property investors and developers with multiple mortgages and loans

They are ideal for first home buyers

Now, let’s identify the top mortgage brokers in the USA.

Tip: Here are the top mortgage brokers in Australia.

Top 13 Mortgage Brokers in the USA

The ranking of the Top 13 Mortgage Brokers in the USA in 2021 is based on the 2020 financial year (FY20) sales volume according to the industry’s leading publication – The Scotsman Guide.

2021 Rank

Broker Name

Brokerage

Number of years in business

Number of Loan Settled (FY20)

Broker Productivity

Total Volumes $ (FY20)

1.

Thuan Nguyen

Loan Factory Inc

15

5,216

$2,007,439,435

$2,007,439,435

2.

Mike Roberts

City Creek Mortgage

23

3,472

$1,003,142,317

$1,003,142,317

3.

Mark Howard Cohen

Cohen Financial Group Inc.

38

1,050

$905,242,425

$905,242,425

4.

Nathan Kowarsky

Clear Mortgage Capital Inc.

14

992

$394,296,405

$408,562,025

5.

Shashank Shekhar

Arcus Lending Inc.

12

873

$364,491,571

$364,491,571

6.

Brian Cooke

SunnyHill Financial

18

1,032

$352,622,325

$352,622,325

7.

Jon Weisman

Blue Door Mortgage

14

777

$331,610,302

$331,610,302

8.

Chris Furie

Insignia Mortgage Inc.

29

139

$311,926,040

$311,926,040

9

Damon Germanides

Insignia Mortgage Inc.

16

140

$311,082,150

$311,082,150

10.

Matt Oliver

Lund Mortgage Team Inc.

14

1,169

$300,206,531

$300,206,532

11.

Dustin Williams

RSI Financial Services

18

649

$291,527,118

$291,527,118

12.

Randy Masters

Masters Team Mortgage

32

751

$282,982,773

$289,442,738

13.

Chris Kostoff

Mortgage Direct Corp.

25

605

$282,443,624

$282,443,624

Out of the many mortgage brokers in the country, only these few made it into the best 1% in the country. We will briefly introduce each of them below.

1. Thuan Nguyen

CEO of Loan Factory

The techie and innovative mortgage broker, Thuan Nguyen, since he founded Loan Factory about 14 years ago, had always believed his success lies in software and technology, as he mentioned in a talk with The Scotsman Guide. So, while other brokerage professionals were busy ‘getting rich’, Mr. Thuan was developing his software and selling it to other brokerages.

After personally settling a total volume of $1.5 billion in 2020, Mr. Thuan dived into expansion opening 12 new offices, with major growth plans including the launching of 10 more offices by the end of 2021.

2. Mike Roberts and Tobi Roberts

Co-Founders and CEOs of City Creek Mortgage

Mike and Tobi Roberts, have both been leading the City Creek Mortgage for 15 years as a team, producing outstanding results with “stability” as their philosophy. While Tobi is busy running the company, Mike is focused on sales, and together this “power couple” keeps scaling up.

Their main forte, which has contributed in pushing the brokerage up the ranks, would be in refinancing and offering the lowest rates in the market.

In the 2020 financial year, Mike Roberts outstandingly settled more than 3,000 loans with a total volume of over $1 billion, placing him as the 2nd best mortgage broker in the US.

3. Mike Cohen

CEO and Founder of Cohen Financial Group

Mike Cohen of Cohen Financial is a leading mortgage broker in the US, originating more than 21,000 loans worth over $14 billion in volume during his career. In addition to ranking first in the Top Mortgage Brokers 2020 and previous years according to The Scotsman Guide, he is also the only mortgage broker in the US producing a loan volume of over $500 million consistently every year, for the last 8 years.

As one of the oldest mortgage brokers in the industry with over 25 years of experience, Cohen Financial Group has been able to cultivate varying levels of relationships and expertise that clients benefit from, making them highly respected by fellow professionals in the industry nationwide.

4. Nathan Kowarsky

CEO of Clear Mortgage Capital

Nathan Kowarsky has been in the industry for about 11 years, earning himself a reputation for integrity, honesty, professionalism, and competency.

As the CEO of Clear Mortgage Capital, he has managed the company successfully, gaining a yearly organic growth rate of over 500 %. Under his leadership, expertise and intuitive sense, the company has grown and expanded over the years.

By the end of the 2020 financial year, Mr. Nathan had already originated a total volume of more than $400 million, claiming 4th place among the Top Mortgage Brokers 2021 ranking.

5. Shashank Shekhar

CEO and Founder of Arcus Lending

Arcus Lending is one of the few mortgage companies in the US that has been growing rapidly for years now. As Shashank’s favorite mantra goes, “we are in the customer service and education business. We just happen to do mortgages”. Their aggressive growth is built on these values – solid education and excellent customer service.

As a prominent figure in the industry, Shashank has been a positive influence to young starters and old alike.

Towards the end of 2020, the Arcus Lending team led by Shashank introduced Rachel to the mortgage industry as the world’s first digital human.

6. Brian Cooke

Vice President of SunnyHill Financial

Brian Cooke takes time as his most valued resource, and using it efficiently is his prowess. During his 17 years career in the industry, he always spared no effort in ensuring every step of the process is efficient. You might not be able to fix an appointment with him, but he always picks up his call anytime and tackles each and every problem as they come.

Mr. Cooke had always followed through with his code of ultimate efficiency and staying organized, closing every deal from start to finish without a processor in between. As he told MPA Magazine, that his “goal is for the client to wake up one day and realize that they’ve successfully obtained their mortgage without having to do much”.

Cooke, along with 2 of his long-time colleagues in the industry, opened SunnyHill Financial about 3 years ago. He still managed to climb 3 places up the ranks from his 9th position in the Top Mortgage Brokers 2020.

7. Jonathan Asher Weisman

Mortgage Consultant at Blue Door Mortgage

Blue Door Mortgage, led by CEO Jonathan White, is a residential mortgage brokerage based in Massachusetts for about 11 years now. The brokerage is consistently ranked among the top mortgage brokers in the country owing to the efforts of the team in ensuring customer satisfaction, earning them almost 100% advocacy.

In the 2020 financial year, Mortgage Consultant Jon Weisman settled 777 loans totalling over $300 million in volume, which was more than double of his volume in FY20, earning him 7th place in the Top Mortgage Brokers USA 2021, according to The Scotsman Guide.

8. Chris Furie

Co-Founder of Insignia Mortgage

In 2020, Chris Furie originated over $300 million from just 139 loans, earning him a rank in the Top Mortgage Brokers 2021.

Chris has over 27 years of experience in the financial service industry, with a reputation for successfully scoring some of the most complex and largest mortgage loans in America. All without neglecting his commitment to the needs of each client.

During his career, Chris accumulated a deep market knowledge, expertise and premium service that now serves as a benchmark for customers and referral sources.

9. Damon Germanides

Co-Founder of CS Financial

Damon Germanides had been working at CS Financial for more than 10 year as an industry leader adept at devising mortgage loan solutions for high profile clients. Until he joined hands with his partner Chris Furie, and launched Insignia Mortgage.

Germanides is known as a veteran intending to foreign clients. He explained in an interview with MPA Magazine how he exerted efforts until he was able to build a strong foreign network along with his partner Chris.

Recently in January 2021, Germanides was again featured in MPA Magazine, where he was interviewed on the foreign market niche.

10. Matt Oliver

Senior Loan Consultant at Lund Mortgage Team

Prominent industry leader and President of the Arizona Association of Mortgage Professionals, Matt Oliver together with his wife Lisa Lund (President of Lund Mortgage Team), continue to break their level of success every year.

Mr. Oliver made $155 million in 2019, which was double his volume in 2018, and in 2020 he doubled it once more, originating a total volume of $300 million.

Mr. Oliver mentioned to MPA Magazine that Lund Mortgage is able to achieve its huge levels of success mainly because of the values and foundations a family-run business such as theirs hold, along with a strong team following behind.

11. Dustin Williams

CEO of RSI Financial Services

RSI Financial Services, based in California, was founded by Dustin Williams 18 years ago. The brokerage offers low-interest rates and various loan products, along with the latest technology to improve their efficiency.

Over the years, the company has been growing steadily, and in this year’s Top 13 Mortgage Brokers USA, Mr. Williams was able to originate $291 million from 649 loans, securing a place within the ranks.

12. Randy Masters

President of Masters Team Mortgage

Randy Master is the current President and Founder of Masters Team Mortgage and a one-time vice president of American Pacific Mortgage. He has been in the mortgage loan business for more than 30 years, and is also recognized as one of the largest real estate investors nationwide.

He have consistently been a top producing loan officer who devoted himself to serving his clients, helping them through the home ownership process and working with them on the best strategies for long term mortgage that match their financial goals.

Mr. Randy believes in the old traditional way of keeping in touch with his clients by calling them on the telephone or setting up an appointment to meet them one on one to discuss the best loan option and the programs with them.

In 2017, Mr. Randy was named among the Top 30 Loan Officers and Brokers in National Mortgage News with a volume of $188 million and 557 loans. This year, his efforts got him a place among the Top Mortgage Brokers in the USA, according to The Scotsman guide, with 751 loans settled and a total volume of $289 million.

13. Chris Kostoff

CEO of Mortgage Direct Corp

CEO of Mortgage Direct Chris Kostoff, has been in the mortgage industry business for over 25 years. He is a nationally ranked Mortgage Broker who believes honesty and having a good relationship is his best trait.

Due to his relentless work ethics, more than 90% of his clients reapply for more than 1 loan with him, earning him more recognition among the top mortgage professionals in the country.

He ranked nationally in the Top 200 for Volume Production on The Scotsman Guide from the years 2013-2015. Recently, he ranked alongside the Top Mortgage Brokers for 2021 as the 13th Overall Top Broker in the USA, 129th Top Dollar Volume and 261 Most Loans Closed.

Conclusion

Buying or refinancing a mortgage can be a little intimidating if you don’t have the right information and support to help you go through the process. You need a good mortgage professional to give you financial advice, recommend you on how to choose the right product, guide you through the process of applying for a loan and other paper works.

Get the help of a good mortgage professional, meaning taking advantage of their many years of experience. You will not just complete the loan application process quickly and error-free, but you and your loved ones can also move into your new investment property purchase as soon as possible. You are saving your time and money.