2023 Best Large Mortgage Companies to Work For

March 15, 2023 5:05 AM

Below, we present how mortgage companies with 500 or more employees stacked up against each other.

The Best Mortgage Companies to Work For program is a partnership between National Mortgage News and the Best Companies Group, which conducts extensive employee surveys and reviews employer reports on benefits and policies. The employee survey covers eight topics: Leadership and Planning; Corporate Culture and Communications; Role Satisfaction; Work Environment; Relationship with Supervisor; Training, Development and Resources; Pay and Benefits; and Overall Engagement.

Once the survey data is analyzed, the companies get a score that decides their ranking. The overall score is calculated using the employee survey (worth 75%) and the employer questionnaire (worth 25%). To qualify for consideration, organizations with 25 or more employees need a minimum response rate of 40% while organizations with 25 or fewer employees need 80%.

Participation is open to a standalone mortgage lender, mortgage broker, mortgage servicer, or mortgage unit of a diversified financial services firm with at least 15 permanent employees working in the United States. While companies must opt-in to the rankings, not every entity that participates in the survey makes the list.

Supreme Lending

Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Number of Employees: 2130
Website:

www.supremelending.com

"Downturns are opportunities. Use a downturn to chart a new and better path forward, motivating and keeping hope alive along the way," said Mills Landon, Supreme Lending's chief strategy officer. "It helps to look at things in a different perspective: Last year was the hardest year of my career, but it was also the best of all time watching our team learn and grow; work closer together; and build lasting bonds."

When it fixed up its headquarters in Dallas, Supreme added a game room outfitted with numerous options and the latest tech; lounge areas for socializing and informal meetings; and an automatic barista coffee machine. "We also formed a concierge team dedicated to planning opportunities for fun and engagement at all Supreme events," Landon said.

Its loan offerings include conventional, FHA, VA, jumbo and renovation products.

Supreme has continuous training and development, with its training team launching new on-demand, short training for personal and professional growth weekly.

Envoy Mortgage

Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Number of employees: 818
Website:

www.envoymortgage.com

Houston, Texas-based Envoy Mortgage has been in business since 2002. In a little more than two decades the company, worth close to $250 million, has amassed a network of over 140 locations nationwide. Originally, the company was dubbed First Houston Mortgage, but was renamed in 2008 to Envoy. Envoy is a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae approved seller and servicer and offers a variety of loan products, including conventional, government and jumbo products to consumers.

"Envoy's commitment to providing a stress-free home buying process, from beginning to end, is a top priority and the reason for their 98% customer satisfaction," a company spokesperson said.

Revolution Mortgage

Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio
Number of employees: 640
Website:

www.revolutionmortgage.com

The rapidly growing lender has branches scattered across the 47 states it lends in, but retains larger presences in the Carolinas, Colorado, Ohio, Texas and Washington, said founder and CEO Tony Grothouse. Conforming loans make 78% of Revolution's originations, and the firm is working on a new construction product. The firm holds three major annual gatherings including a golf tournament, and keeps camaraderie high with offerings like food and drinks for its spread-out workforce.

"Our culture is really based around one simple word,' he said. "It's about winning. It's a winning culture, and really the ability of our people to serve, serving and winning go hand-in-hand for us."

Embrace Home Loans

Headquarters: Middletown, Rhode Island
Number of employees: 651
Website:

www.embracehomeloans.com

Embrace Home Loans, founded in 1983 "with a couple of yellow legal pads and one shiny typewriter," is a full service nationwide mortgage lender based in Middletown, Rhode Island. The company, which was founded by Dennis F. Hardiman, originally was named Advanced Financial Services. In 2009, following the acquisition of Mason Dixon Funding, the company decided to change its name after realizing that "every client relationship begins and ends with an embrace."

Embrace Home Loans offers a variety of mortgage products ranging from conventional, government, jumbo and construction loans. For its employees, the company offers competitive compensation and benefits, including an annual 401k profit sharing contribution.

The average tenure of an Embrace loan officer is just over seven years, compared to the industry average of approximately two years, according to the company spokesperson. Additionally, the company prides itself on donating a percentage of its earnings to charity, with more than $25 million being donated to the communities it serves over the past decade.

Geneva Financial

Headquarters: Chandler, Arizona
Number of Employees: 713

Website:

www.genevafi.com

In business since 2007, Geneva Financial carries a range of products beyond traditional forward conventional, government and jumbo mortgages The company operates commercial and reverse mortgage divisions and offers several specialty niche loans as well. It is an active corporate participant in the hero loan program, which promotes homeownership and frequently grants down payment assistance to veterans, first responders, educators and medical personnel.

"The other niche that we're in is a business-to business affinity program," said James Polinori, chief marketing officer. "That's going to companies and having an offering for their employees." The program was created by Geneva Financial CEO Aaron VanTrojen.

The company experienced growth in 2022, seeing a net gain in new originators and entering new markets, through strategic planning and marketing, Polinori said. "People know who Geneva is more often now."

Thrive Mortgage

Headquarters: Georgetown, Texas
Number of employees: 647

Website:

www.thrivemortgage.com

Georgetown, Texas-based Thrive Mortgage was founded in 2001 by Roy Jones and Selene Srnensky Kellam. The company was originally named Georgetown Mortgage, but was rebranded in 2018 to better reflect its values of "helping its customers thrive." Since its inception, the company has been actively expanding its presence and is currently licensed in forty states coast to coast.

Thrive offers a slew of mortgage products ranging from construction loans, government loans and conventional products. The company is actively involved on a local and national level in lobbying efforts to expand homeownership opportunities for underserved neighborhoods and minority communities. Additionally, the lender has established a committee dubbed "HomeFront" which is a "first line of support to our community whether it comes in the form of organizing disaster relief for market areas or a personal tragedy impacting on of our own."

Churchill Mortgage

Headquarters: Brentwood, Tennessee
Number of employees: 711

Website:

www.churchillmortgage.com

Churchill is the only company personal-finance expert Dave Ramsey has talked about on his show. In line with that recommendation from Ramsey, an advocate of minimal-to-no debt, Churchill offers a no-score loan to people who lack one due to paying off all their borrowings.

The company's list of loan products and secondary market outlets is expansive, encompassing everything from standard government-related mortgages to products like construction-to-perm financing. It lends in 49 states through both brick and mortar locations and third-party origination partners.

"We have an outlet for just about everything," said Michael Brown, a senior loan officer at the company.

The company was still looking to bring on board strong sales professionals at the time of this writing.

"We are looking to add some really good sales teams and top-producing loan officers," he said, noting that the company treats its staff as part of a community, noting one recent instance where employees offered emotional and prayer support to one of their number whose spouse was ill.

The company is also one of the few mortgage companies to offer an employee stock ownership plan.

Highlands Residential Mortgage

Headquarters: Allen, Texas
Number of Employees: 507

Website: www.highlandsmortgage.com

With over 40 branches across the country, Highlands Residential offers a full array of conventional and government mortgages as well as renovation and construction loans.

To support both the health and well-being of its 500-plus team, the company provides an onsite workout facility and offers access to classes dealing with topics, such as managing stress and financial education.

Civic Financial Services

Headquarters: Redondo Beach, California
Number of Employees: 506

Website:

www.civicfs.com

In January, Civic's parent company, PacWest Bancorp undertook a restructuring of its organization, including integrating Civic into its operational structure. William Tessar, who remained as president after PacWest bought Civic in February 2021, left the company as a result. On Feb. 21, PacWest announced it was laying off 200 workers at Civic and reducing its product menu.

Civic specialized in lending on non-owner-occupied properties prior to the announcement.

"We run a 'Parents Corner' on our social channels where close to 100 moms and dads regularly connect to share advice, ideas and pictures of their kids. We also use it to promote Civic activities and events where children can participate/attend," its Best Companies entry, submitted before the corporate restructuring, said.

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group

Headquarters: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Number of employees: 951

Website:

www.atlanticbay.com

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group was founded in 1996 by brothers, Brian Holland and Stan Holland. What at the time was a quaint local lender has since grown into a company valued at over $3.8 billion. The Virginia Beach-based company is licensed in close to two dozen states and Washington D.C., and offers conventional, jumbo and government mortgage products to prospective borrowers.

Atlantic Bay emphasizes the importance of camaraderie in its workplace and offers employees paid sabbaticals, as well as mental health coaches to help facilitate a healthy workplace. The lender also hosts an annual costume contest where it was recently discovered that they have an "Elvis reincarnated working in their Ops team."

"Our people make us one of the best places to work," said a company representative.