Here they are. The best of the best. National Mortgage News' listing of the 50 Top Producers in its 2025 survey.
This year's survey includes one $1 billion originator, Shant Bonasian, the Waltham, Massachusetts-based recently promoted president of Rate.
Mortgage originators had the opportunity to comment on a number of hot button topics that did and is likely to continue impacting their business.
For example, the No. 3 overall originator, Brian Minkow, divisional vice president of CMG Home Loans in Westlake Village, California, responded to a question about the National Association of Realtors commission settlement and its potential impact on customers.
"If the buyer needs to pay Realtor commissions that has impacted their ability to purchase a home, [including] for borrowers with limited funds to also pay for [a] down payment, closing costs and then [the] Realtor commission," Minkow said.
Meanwhile the rising cost of insurance has affected Shelby Weston's business at MLD Mortgage, which does business as the Money Store, in Oklahoma City. "Oklahoma has gone up over 30%, [an] increase causing housing payments to go up quite a bit."
Nichol Downey, a loan originator at RMC Home Mortgage, Wexford, Pennsylvania, said she has used artificial intelligence in a limited fashion, primarily to search for loan guidelines, but ultimately, I have not yet found it to be extremely useful.
"I think we will be implementing more of this in the future, however," Downey commented.
Check out the originators
